


All That I Am

by aewgliriel



Series: The Energy Never Dies [2]
Category: Dracula Untold (2014)
Genre: Babies, Canon Het Relationship, F/M, Het, Pregnancy, Pregnant Sex, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-24
Updated: 2015-01-01
Packaged: 2018-02-26 22:30:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 46,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2668751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aewgliriel/pseuds/aewgliriel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dracula's enemy has revealed himself. Caught in a one-sided game, Vlad seeks to protect his family from the very monster that created him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_I am the white dove for a soldier_  
 _Ever marching as to war_  
 _I would give my life to save you_  
 _I stand guarded at your door_  
 _I give you all that I am_  
  
 _\-- Rob Thomas, "All That I Am"_  
  
  
  
 **\--Chapter One--**  
  
September in England was not a time Vlad Dracula enjoyed, even if it let him go outside at two in the afternoon. It was dark and rainy constantly, and while Mina was used to the constant downpour, he was not.  
  
The one consolation he had was that the wedding of Lucy Westenra and Arthur Holmwood was over, and as such, he and his wife could return to his native Romania for a well-deserved rest. Mina especially could use it, as Lucy had run her ragged these last few weeks of wedding preparation. Mina, at six months into her pregnancy, needed a break.  
  
Vlad wanted to say she needed safety, too, but with what stalked them loose on the world, viciously intelligent and ominously prescient, there was no safe place.  
  
And it was his own fault.  
  
"What's bothering you, Vlad?" Mina asked, where she lounged on their bed, in the master bedroom of the house they'd purchased over the summer. "You're frowning."  
  
"I'm worried," he told her. "About _him_."  
  
Three months before, the vampire who had been stalking Lucy Westenra, and then Mina herself, had revealed himself to be the vampire that had once lurked on Broken Tooth Mountain. He had been trapped there for centuries, inhabiting the only cave on the mountain, preying on unlucky travellers and explorers.  
  
Until Vlad came along, asking for a share in his power to defeat the Turks and save his family. He'd had three days of this power: the strength of a hundred men, the speed of a falling star, dominion over creatures of the night and the ability to see through their senses. It had been a heady thing, but had come at a cost: the thirst for human blood. If he drank before the three days were up, he'd be stuck forever, and the vampire master would be freed. If he resisted, he'd return to normal.  
  
Vlad resisted three days, until his wife, Mirena, had been mortally injured and their son taken. Mirena's last request had been that he drink her blood and save their son. He'd done so, and been a vampire ever since.  
  
And he'd set free the thing that had created him, that now toyed with them for his own amusement.  
  
The only upside to this was that Vlad had found Mina, his beloved Mina, who was also the reincarnation of Mirena, with her memories recently restored. It wasn't easy for either of them, least of all Mina, but they were getting by.  
  
Vlad sat on the edge of the bed and ran his hands through his shoulder-length black hair. "I'm worried about what he's planning, what he wants. What he's doing right now. He has to be feeding, and I doubt he's being as careful with his habits as I've been."  
  
The master's cave on the mountain had been full of centuries of the dead, littered with bone. At least two of the dead on that mountain were Vlad's own men, now reduced to the barest of remains. He'd never been able to go back and find them, give them a proper burial. The master hadn't cared if he'd been surrounded by rotting corpses.  
  
Vlad, however, was meticulous in his feeding: criminals only, if he could help it. Pickpockets, street thugs, and the like were his prey. And he never killed. Vlad was certain that his creator was behind many disappearances over the years. How many, and where, were things he didn't want to contemplate.  
  
Mina reached over and grasped his hand, pulling him to lie down with her. He stretched out, placing his hand on the swell of her stomach.  
  
"Your son is restless today," she told him. "He's very squirmy."  
  
Vlad rubbed his hand over her stomach, pressing in slightly to make the baby kick back. Their son did exactly as expected, delivering a strong thump against his father's hand.  
  
"He'll be a strong, healthy boy," Vlad observed.  
  
Mina, and their unborn child, was Vlad's saving grace. The day he'd met her at the street market in Bucharest, he'd been amazed at her resemblance to Mirena. That she later turned out to *be* his Mirena had been both a delight and a struggle that Mina still dealt with on a daily basis. The memories of her past life had surfaced slowly, until the meddling of one Abraham Van Helsing, self-proclaimed vampire hunter and doctor of parapsychology. He'd hypnotized Mina, then left them to pick up the pieces.  
  
That she hadn't left him after everything that happened still amazed Vlad continually.  
  
"Ingeras was strong," Mina said softly. "And just as restless."  
  
Vlad threaded his fingers through Mina's short blonde hair. She'd worn it sheared into a pixie cut when they'd met, but she'd been growing it out and it reached her shoulders, about as long as his own.  
  
"He was," he agreed. "Always running, playing, wanting to _do_."  
  
Ingeras, the child that Vlad had been forced to abandon to the care of the priest Lucien and distant relatives, after Mirena's death and his own . . . downfall. Only a handful of people knew that Vlad had not died on that battlefield at the hands of the Turks.  
  
His son had been one of them, though he'd never told anyone. And Vlad had never spoken to him. That had been so hard, watching his son grow and to not be there, to only watch from the shadows.  
  
Harder still had been not being there when Ingeras passed. He hadn't told Mina about that, and he hoped that she understood when he did. After all, one usually hopes their only child lives beyond the age of twenty-nine.  
  
This child, he swore, he would be there for every minute, and they would live a long and happy life.  
  
"We'll head back to Romania tomorrow, if you're willing," he told his wife. "Like we did before. Perhaps we'll drive through the south of France and into Italy."  
  
"That would put the Alps in our way, darling."  
  
". . . Right. Through Germany it is."

 

* * *

 

  
  
Spending hours in a car, driving cross-continent, was vastly different to do at twelve weeks than it was at twenty-five weeks. They had to stop frequently for Mina's needs, whether they be food or so she could relieve herself. What had been a three-day trip the first time turned into five the second.  
  
"I'm just grateful I'm not doing this by carriage," she muttered to Vlad. "Going from Târgoviște to Bistrița for that summit when Mirena was four months pregnant with Ingeras was a nightmare."  
  
Vlad shook his head. "I felt so bad for hauling her along. She was miserable the entire time."  
  
"She insisted on going. It was after that when she decided you could go yourself and didn't need her along."  
  
He braked for a traffic signal and shot her a look. "There were many times I would have taken her with me, if I could, but so many places were not . . . good places for gently bred ladies."  
  
"And then she had Ingeras," Mina pointed out. "There was no way she was going to leave him, especially when he was little. Travel is so different now. It was a huge undertaking then. These days, if I want to go visit Lucy, it's three hours by plane. It would have been weeks, possibly *months*, to get from Bucharest to London then."  
  
"Yes. One reason I'm very grateful for this car."  
  
"It's a very nice car. Speaking of which, I need a car myself. Now that I can't borrow Mrs Westenra's or Lucy's."  
  
"We'll find you one when we get home."  
  
"I'm thinking something small, maybe a Mini? Something that would be good to transport a baby around in."  
  
"That sounds good. This . . . is not a child-friendly car."  
  
Mina laughed. "Now I'm getting the mental image of Vlad the Impaler driving a Mini with a screaming toddler in the backseat, throwing french fries at your head."  
  
He gave her a horrified look.  
  
His wife just laughed.

 

* * *

 

  
  
Mina had originally come to Romania to teach at a university in Bucharest and to get over the death of her fiance, Jonathan Harker. She'd never expected to meet Vlad, or anything that had followed. But Romania, once a temporary escape, had become home.  
  
Their house in Târgoviște was just about Mina's favourite place in the world. It was primarily decorated in Vlad's style, reds and golds and rich tapestries, which she didn't mind at all. She had a space of her own which she'd started decorating.  
  
And then there was the nursery. Mina was thrilled that they were home from England, at long last, so that she could focus on preparing the space her baby would occupy.  
  
She ran a hand lovingly over her belly. Luka was asleep, as far as she could tell. Mina wasn't sure if it was simply coincidence or not, but he seemed to sleep during the day and was awake at night, just like his nocturnal father. If it was any indication of things to come, not only was Mina going to have to adjust her own schedule to be largely nocturnal, but they'd probably need to homeschool Luka.  
  
Mina didn't mind the idea. She was qualified, having completed her studies in not only Gothic literature, but in child education. She'd always wanted to teach and nurture. When Jon had died, her hopes of children had seemed to die with him. They hadn't even blossomed with Vlad when she'd found he was a vampire.  
  
Somehow, though, she was pregnant anyway, with a half-vampire, half-human child that all tests indicated was developing normally. She'd been afraid for a while of a mutant baby, something with fangs and claws and all sorts of nasty things. But her latest ultrasound showed just a normal, healthy baby boy.  
  
Vlad, of course, was over the moon about having a son. He'd love a daughter just as much, she knew, but a boy was an heir. And something of a replacement for Ingeras.  
  
It was funny, she reflected as she attached vinyl decals to the pale yellow walls of the nursery, that she missed a child she had never met, a son of her previous self that had passed away five centuries before.  
  
He would have loved the technology of the modern age. He'd been a rambunctious, brave, kind-hearted boy who'd loved playing with his father and riding horseback. Skateboards, bicycles, even a Playstation would have been right up his alley.  
  
Luka would be as loved as Ingeras had been. She just wished the brothers could have known each other.  
  
"Having fun?"  
  
She turned at Vlad's voice, and gave him a smile. "I can't reach where I want to put this one. Can you help?"  
  
He took the decal she held, and Mina showed him how to apply it. It was fairly simple, and they had the rest of the wall decorations up in a few minutes.  
  
"It's looking very nice," he told her. "But it's not a very masculine theme."  
  
"It's gender neutral," she said. "Partially so we won't need to redecorate if we have a girl."  
  
"Mm."  
  
"One of these days, you're going to have to give up those antiquated views on gender roles," she teased.  
  
He caught her around her waist and tugged her against him. "I'm very modern. I let you leave the house on your own and everything."  
  
Mina snorted a laugh. "I know you're joking, but I also know you're serious."  
  
"To be honest, I have applauded each gain women won over these past centuries."  
  
"If you were really backwards on that, I wouldn't have married you."  
  
He ran his hands over her belly. "You are beautiful, soția mea."  
  
"I'm enormous, and I'm only going to get bigger," she complained.  
  
Vlad nipped the side of her neck. "I find you just as tempting now as when you're not carrying my child."  
  
"Yeah?" she breathed. "Prove it."  
  


* * *

 

  
Vlad slid his hands down her hips, to pull up the skirt of the dress she wore. With it gathered in one hand, he hooked the fingers of the other in the waist of her cotton panties and pulled them down. Mina wiggled until they hit the floor, then she stepped out of them.  
  
He reached around her belly and ran his fingers over her cleft, through her dark blonde curls. She gasped when he parted her, finding her clit with unerring accuracy.  
  
"Vlad," she moaned, hips jerking with each stroke of his fingers over the little nub. "Don't stop."  
  
He licked the side of her neck, then tugged with his teeth at her earlobe. "Sit in the rocking chair."  
  
The chair was a recent purchase he'd made, an early present for Mina and the baby. It was an antique, of sturdy wood and a new, soft cushion. Mina sat down in it, wondering what he was up to.  
  
Vlad dropped to his knees in front of the chair and grasped his wife's hips, pulling them to the edge of the seat. Mina hooked her legs over the arms of the chair, feeling deliciously exposed.  
  
He spread her labia and lowered his mouth to her pink folds, nudging the chair into a rocking motion with his elbow. Mina groaned as Vlad used lips and tongue to tug at her clit, the motion of the chair simulating undulations of her hips, something she couldn't do very well at six months pregnant.  
  
Mina caught her fingers in his hair. "Harder," she gasped.  
  
Vlad's tongue circled her clit as he worked two fingers into her wet heat. The rocking chair did all the hard work for both of them, his fingers sliding in and out with each roll of the chair. He turned his hand, seeking out the rough patch inside her, pressing hard into it as he sucked and licked at her sensitive flesh.  
  
"Unnh. Oh, Vlad, don't stop!"  
  
He growled, sucking harder, and she cried out, clenching down on his fingers. "More," she whined, and he obliged, reaching up with his free hand to fondle one of her swollen breasts.  
  
"Oh, god. Oh, god, Vlad, I'm gonna-"  
  
Her fingers pulled at his hair as she came, gasping and panting with the force of it. Then she went limp, laughing a little. Still, he continued to lick her, and it wasn't long before she was making little sounds of need again.  
  
"Oh, please," she begged. "I need more."  
  
Vlad straightened, licking his lips, and unfastened his fly. "Come take what you need," he told her.  
  
Mina put her legs down and slid out of the chair and to her knees on the rug. She pushed Vlad on his back, hands pulling at his pants to free him. She didn't bother getting them past mid-thigh before she straddled him, stroking eagerly at his half-hard cock.  
  
When he was hard, Mina impaled herself on him without hesitation, letting out a little moan as he filled her.  
  
"Oh, yeah," she breathed. "Mmm. So good."  
  
Awkward as she was, she couldn't bounce on him the way she wanted to, so Mina settled for rocking her hips and grinding against him. She pulled the dress off over her head, then yanked at her bra, freeing her heavy, tender breasts.  
  
Vlad levered up on his elbows and caught one dusky nipple in his mouth. She murmured an approving sound and rolled the other between her fingers, rocking faster against him.  
  
"I miss having you on top of me," she told him, panting a little. "I miss you holding me down and fucking me."  
  
He groaned at her words, pushing up with his hips to aid their mating. Mina was a lot more vocal about her wants than Mirena had ever been, a product of modern views on sex and female pleasure. He'd never left Mirena wanting, but she'd never spoken to him the way Mina did. He loved that she wasn't afraid to tell him what she liked. And her likes were a lot more varied than anything Mirena had let him do.  
  
Vlad dropped back down and grabbed her hips, encouraging her to move them faster. Mina leaned forward, bracing her hands on his chest, gasping now with the effort.  
  
"Come for me, _iubita mea_ ," he murmured. "I need to see you come for me."  
  
"Trying," she groaned. "Vlad."  
  
He reached between them to touch her, and she fell apart, the roll of her hips hitching as the orgasm hit her. With her face flushed, lips parted and eyes dilated, he thought she was the most beautiful he'd ever seen her.  
  
Vlad let himself follow her down, groaning his release as she sat back on his thighs. They both breathed heavily, and Mina grinned at him.  
  
"I guess you do," she told him breathlessly.  
  
"I do what?"  
  
"Want me still."  
  
He laughed helplessly. "Mina, my Mina. I will always want you. Always."  
  
It took them a while to separate and stand. Vlad bent and retrieved her dress, which she wriggled into. He pocketed her panties.  
  
"I think I need a bath," she said. "My hips are going to be very sore tomorrow if I don't."  
  
"I believe I'll join you."  
  
Smiling, she took his hand and led him from the nursery.

 

* * *

 

  
  
The next week was idyllic in a way that they'd never really had. Mina refused to let Vlad worry about the master vampire, doing everything she could to keep him in good spirits. _That_ largely involved keeping him out of clothing, but that was certainly nothing Mina minded.  
  
Two weeks after their return from England, Mina finished decorating the nursery. She was in the kitchen, discussing dinner options with their housekeeper, Sveta, when her mobile rang.  
  
Mina almost let the call go to voicemail, but picked it up at the last second. "Hullo?"  
  
"Mina?"  
  
It took her a minute to place the voice. "Arthur?"  
  
"Yes, it's me. Mina, you have to come to London, now."  
  
"Why? Did something happen to Lucy?"  
  
He laughed, and it wasn't a pretty sound. "I came to pick up Lu from her mum's. It's . . . I've called the police. Eleanor's dead."  
  
"Oh, no. Is Lucy alright?"  
  
"I don't know! I can't find her, Mina! She's missing!"


	2. Chapter 2

**\--Chapter Two--**  
  
Mina ran as fast as she could up the stairs, which in her condition was really more of a fast waddle. "Really . . . need . . . a lift . . . installed," she huffed to herself as she reached the top.  
  
Vlad was asleep, as it wasn't yet sunset. She stood by the bed and prodded him until he woke.  
  
"Mina?" He sat up. "Is it the baby?"  
  
"Not yet, no. It's Lucy. She's missing."  
  
He blinked dark green eyes at her. "Repeat that?"  
  
"Arthur called. Lucy's mum's dead and Lu's missing. I need to go to London, Vlad. I-"  
  
"Of course. Let me charter a plane. It'll be faster and they can take the car in the hold."  
  
She arched a brow. "Why didn't you do that last time?"  
  
". . . Because I didn't think about it?" Vlad got out of bed. He slept in the nude, usually, and today was no different. Mina watched appreciatively as he crossed to the armoire.  
  
"Pack a bag," he told her as he rummaged for pants. "We'll leave as soon as I can hire a plane."  
  
"Will that take long?"  
  
"Money makes things go faster."  
  
Mina nodded. She'd grown up a poor orphan, taken in by Lucy's family because her own mum had been Lu's mum's best friend. She'd had little of her own, even with the charity of her foster family, and Vlad's fortune was something she was unaccustomed to.  
  
To think that Eleanor, the only mother she'd ever known, was now gone, boggled her mind.  
  
"Arthur said . . . Well, he didn't _say_ it was bad, but I could tell from his voice. I think, with Lucy missing, that Eleanor was murdered."  
  
"And I'll bet I know by whom," Vlad said darkly. "He's still playing with us, but he's the cat and we're the mice."  
  
Mina's hands shook as she dragged her suitcase out of the large closet they shared. Vlad was suddenly there, pants on but not fastened, to help her.  
  
She eyed him. "There's something wrong with my brain," she said.  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"Because my best friend is missing, her mother's dead, and I look at you and all I can think about is shagging you."  
  
Vlad shook his head with a small chuckle. "Hormones," he muttered.  
  
"Possibly, but hello, have you _seen_ you?" She waved at his taut, muscled stomach and the tight jeans.  
  
He snorted. "Pack. We'll discuss your urges later."  
  
Mina packed in what was probably record time, and Vlad carried her bag down to the car. It was dusk, the sun having set, so Vlad could be outside.  
  
Mentally, she reviewed what she'd packed. If she'd forgotten anything, they could pick it up in London. She'd made sure to pack a black dress, for Eleanor's funeral, and the thought once again stopped her in her tracks.  
  
"Are you alright?" Vlad asked, as she stopped by the car, staring blankly at it.  
  
"I'm terrified for Lucy," she whispered. "I feel like we shouldn't have left."  
  
Her husband was grim. "There's no way we could have predicted this, Mina. Not truly. For all we know, it wasn't *him*."  
  
"Chances are, though."  
  
Silently, Vlad nodded.  
  
They drove to the airport in Bucharest, where a plane was waiting for them. Mina didn't know how much it cost, but Vlad had made some very smart investments over the long years he'd lived, and didn't want for anything. Not now that he had her, anyway.  
  
She nervously rubbed her hand over her stomach as she sat in her plush seat on the plane. She hoped that they'd have news of Lucy by the time they landed, but she suspected not.  
  
"Try to relax, _dragă_ ," Vlad said. "Worrying can't be good for the baby."  
  
"How can I not worry?" Mina fretted. "Lucy's _missing_ , and Eleanor is dead!"  
  
"I know, love. But will anxiety over it help them?"  
  
". . . No," she admitted reluctantly. "But aren't you worried?"  
  
"Some," he told her. "I like Lucy, and what has happened is a tragedy, one I wonder if I could have prevented. I'm more worried about what effect this stress will have on you and our child."  
  
Vlad reached over and took her hand. "It will be alright, _iubita mea_."  
  
Mina gave his hand a squeeze. "I'm trying to think it will."  
  
She reached into her bag and pulled out the fleece blanket she'd been working on. It was a simple thing, with tied rag edges, something to keep her hands occupied on the flight. It was blue and brown, little boy colours, featuring puppies.  
  
Vlad watched her work for a while. "I haven't seen you make anything before."  
  
"It's an old hobby," she explained. "I don't usually have time for such things when school's in session. Too much homework and lesson planning. But since I'm not teaching anymore, I thought I'd get back into it."  
  
He fingered the material. "Soft."  
  
"And warm, hopefully. I know it's only October, and Luka isn't due 'til January, but I want to be prepared."  
  
"Being prepared is best, I've found."  
  
Mina nodded. "I want to say that I'm not sure I'm ready for this baby, but if teaching college-age students can't prepare me for that, I don't know what will."  
  
Vlad laughed. "I would think teenage students are worse."  
  
She shook her head. "University students. Some of them are responsible adults, but others reduce back to children at the first sign of a difficult assignment."  
  
"That's because they're not taught responsibility in the home," Vlad murmured. "They have no idea what true hardship is."  
  
There wasn't really much Mina could say to that, since she knew Vlad's history. Imprisoned as a child and raised as a soldier, taught to kill from the age of eleven. Until he'd become a vampire, his body had been covered in scars from the whippings he'd endured.  
  
No, she agreed silently, most of today's college students didn't know true hardship. A ten-page paper on Shelley's Frankenstein was nothing compared to what her husband had lived through.  
  
The plane landed at Heathrow, outside London, and they disembarked. Vlad's BMW was brought out from the hold, and they drove to their London house to drop off their luggage.  
  
Mina called Arthur from the airport to let him know they'd arrived. There was no news of Lucy, and the police were still at the Westenra house.  
  
"Do you want to rest first, or-"  
  
"No, I want to go over and talk to the police myself." Mina shook her head.  
  
Vlad knew there was no arguing with her. "Okay. We'll go over now, then."  
  
Mina was silent during the car ride over. Vlad knew she was worried about Lucy, and didn't bother her. He also had to concentrate on his driving; there were a lot of stupid people on the road then, pulling stupid moves.  
  
"That's what I miss about horses," he muttered to himself. "You couldn't cut someone off going over a hundred kilometres an hour and then suddenly slam on your brakes on a horse."  
  
Mina roused from her reverie. "Hmm?"  
  
"Nothing. Complaining to myself, is all."  
  
"It amuses me that you get road rage," she told him. "We should get you a little voodoo doll to keep on the dash, one you can stab with things when you get stuck in traffic."  
  
He shot her a look. She couldn't tell if he was amused or not.  
  
When Vlad pulled into the Westenras' drive, he was stopped immediately by a constable. He parked and got out, explaining that they were there for Lord Godalming.  
  
Someone went to fetch Arthur out of the house. He looked weary and distraught, and hugged Mina tightly when she got out of the car.  
  
"Tell me what happened," she said. "Don't leave out a thing."  
  
Arthur got into the back seat of the car and began talking. He had, he said, dropped Lucy off at her mother's for a day of shopping, since he had business nearby now that his father had died and he'd inherited lands and title. He'd spoken to Lucy shortly after lunch, when his business had concluded, and she'd asked him to come get her.  
  
When he'd shown up to the house, though, he'd found the front door open, Eleanor dead on the marble floor of the foyer, her throat ripped out. Lucy's cardigan had been on the stairs, her purse a few steps below it, but other than that, there had been no sign of his wife.  
  
Vlad looked up at the sky. It was presently drizzling, clouds as far as the eye could see. "And what were the weather conditions this afternoon?" he asked.  
  
"It's England, what do _you_ think?" Arthur snapped.  
  
"So it could have been him," Mina said softly.  
  
"Who?" Arthur demanded. "The vampire you were supposed to stop?"  
  
"I can't stop him," Vlad said. "He's psychic and centuries older than me."  
  
There was a deafening silence in the car following Vlad's words. He'd never said it aloud before, that the vampire he'd tried to hunt had powers beyond his own, but there it was.  
  
"She's dead," Arthur said then, and his voice broke. "How can she be anything but dead?"  
  
Mina looked to Vlad, knowing there were other, possibly worse, fates than death.  
  
"Come stay with us for the night, Arthur," she said. "I don't want you alone tonight."  
  
"What does it matter?" he asked bleakly. "Lu's gone."  
  
Vlad, who had watched his first wife fall to her death in front of him, who had technically _killed_ said wife when he drank her blood, rolled his eyes. "And if she's not? What if she ran from what killed her mother and she's hiding somewhere?"  
  
"In the house?"  
  
"Or out of it. We don't know." Vlad turned in his seat to eye the human. "My point is, you don't know if she's dead or not, and it's incredibly stupid to assume she is when there's every chance she could be alive."  
  
Mina reached over, touched his arm lightly.  
  
"Can you . . . tell if she left the house?" Arthur asked, after a while.  
  
"I can try," Vlad told him. "I'll need to leave here, and come back in another form. The police will notice if I get out of the car and start literally sniffing around."  
  
Mina snorted softly. "Let's take Arthur to the house, then you can come back and, uh, look for Lucy."  
  
Vlad nodded, started the car, and put it in reverse. He just hoped he hadn't just offered Arthur false expectation.


	3. Chapter 3

**\--Chapter Three--**  
  
When they got to their London house, Mina took Arthur to the kitchen to get him something to eat. He professed to not be hungry, but when she set the sandwich in front of him, he bit into it with relish.  
  
"Will Vlad be gone long?" he asked of her husband, who had flown off nearly as soon as they'd arrived.  
  
"He'll be gone as long as it takes. I don't know what his searching entails. I've never asked."  
  
Arthur morosely eyed the crisps she put on his plate. "I hope he can find her."  
  
"So do I. I can't promise he will, but he'll do everything he can to do so."  
  
The man finished his sandwich, but didn't touch the crisps. Mina pulled the plate across the table and picked one up.  
  
"How can you eat, when Lucy's missing, possibly hurt or worse?" Arthur asked her.  
  
Silently, Mina pointed to her belly.  
  
". . . Oh. Yes. Right. Sorry."  
  
"No need. You're upset. It's natural." But her tone was icy, and she ate the rest of the crisps in silence.  
  
Vlad still hadn't returned by the time Mina had prepared a guest room for Arthur. A lot of the furnishings had come with the house, many of them strange. Mina, out of irritation, stuck Arthur in what she called "the antler room". It was exactly as it sounded: decorated largely in antlers.  
  
He eyed the decor when Mina showed him to the room. His expression said it all.  
  
"The previous owners did it. I haven't had time to redecorate."  
  
She left him to his own devices and made her way through the house, checking the locks. They wouldn't stop the master, but it would at least give her warning.  
  
Mina changed into her pajamas and crawled into bed, but couldn't sleep. It was hard to sleep without Vlad near, even if he was up reading and not in bed with her, and his absence coupled with her fear for Lucy made sleep elusive.  
  
Vlad returned near dawn. Mina was still awake and fretting.  
  
"Any news?" she asked eagerly, as he came in.  
  
He shook his head. "Aside from it being _on_ the news, no. I lost her scent near the house and couldn't pick it up again at any point nearby. She either was put into a car or hauled off by someone who can fly."  
  
"That's a lovely thought," Mina said sarcastically. She yawned.  
  
"You didn't need to wait up for me."  
  
"Yes, I did. I had to. Go tell Arthur what you learned, he'll want it now and from you. Then come to bed."  
  
Vlad nodded and went to deliver his non-news.  
  


* * *

 

  
Mina slept fitfully, the baby kicking constantly through the night and early morning. She rose earlier than she would have liked, but found Arthur already up. That, or up still.  
  
Seeing that he was on the phone, she waited 'til he finished his call before asking, "Any news from the police?"  
  
"They found blood on the stairs, just a little of it, that might be Lucy's," he told her quietly. "It's her type, at any rate, which is different than Eleanor's."  
  
The sun was up and the clouds gone, which meant that Vlad would be house-bound 'til the sun went down, unless he made it cloudy. Mina made a face at the sunny weather, wondering when, exactly, she'd come to prefer it overcast.  
  
She fixed some tea for them both, leaving Arthur to sweeten his to his own preference. "Did you get any sleep last night?" she asked him.  
  
"An hour. Maybe two. I don't know."  
  
"You should try to sleep some more. I'm sure the police will call when they know more."  
  
"I _can't_ sleep! And how would you know what I should or shouldn't do?"  
  
Mina set down her cup, very firmly but steadily. "Because, when Jon died, I didn't sleep for three days. I nearly killed myself with lack of sleep and everything else, calling the police at all hours to demand that they haul the drunk driver out of his hospital bed and throw him in jail. I'm sure you remember. You've always been wrapped up in Lucy, but you were Jon's friend. You were there."  
  
He stared at her in silence, grey eyes unreadable. He drained his tea in two quick gulps and left the room without excusing himself.  
  
People showed their true colours under stress, Mina mused. And Arthur Holmwood was turning into a grade-A prat.

 

* * *

  
  
Arthur left via cab not long after. Mina had nothing to do while waiting for news of Lucy, so she threw herself into designing a nursery for the London house. There was a Tesco within walking distance of the house. With the sun out and shining, Mina figured she was okay to be alone; if it started getting overcast, she'd call Vlad to come get her.  
  
At the store, she found an adorable Moses basket in white wicker, with cozy blue padding. There was a matching stand for it, and Mina knew she had to have both. It would let her have the baby by her bedside when he was new.  
  
There was another woman in the same section, also looking at the cribs and baskets. She had shoulder-length brown hair and didn't appear to be pregnant. "Oh, that's a cute one!" she said. "Did you see the matching crib over there?"  
  
"I didn't!" Mina stood on her toes, trying to see, and the woman laughed.  
  
"Come with me, I'll show you."  
  
Mina followed the woman around the corner. To her surprise and shock, the woman grabbed her arm and yanked her close to a large display of formula.  
  
"What-"  
  
"There's a man following you," the woman said in hushed tones. "He's been staring at you for the last fifteen minutes."  
  
Mina went cold from head to toe. "What does he look like?"  
  
"About six feet, sandy brown hair, dark eyes?"  
  
So not the master. And not Vlad. Vlad's hair was most definitely black, and he wouldn't stand back and stare at her, either. Blinking, Mina said, "Huh."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, I just . . . don't know who that could be. I _am_ avoiding my ex-father-in-law, and he's been known to show up unexpectedly."  
  
Mina peered around the corner, but didn't see anyone. The woman looked, too, and said, "I think he's gone."  
  
"Thanks," Mina said. "That's a bit alarming. Maybe he's just one of those weirdoes that gets off on looking at pregnant women."  
  
Laughing, the woman said, "Maybe! I'm Agnes, by the way."  
  
"Mina. Nice to meet you. Even if it's under strange circumstances."  
  
Disturbed by the knowledge that a man had been watching her, Mina bought the basket and the stand. There _was_ a matching crib, but she was going to make Vlad go back with her when he woke and get it. It had grown overcast while she was in the store, but she didn't want to wake Vlad, so she called a cab.  
  
Trying not to disturb Vlad, Mina set up the basket and the stand to test the arrangement out. It would do nicely, she decided, but until the baby was born, it would be stored elsewhere.  
  
She got online and ordered a few things for delivery to the house by next-day post. And she worried about Lucy.  
  
She ordered Chinese take-away. And worried about Lucy.  
  


* * *

 

  
When Vlad woke at sundown, he found Mina curled up beside him, sound asleep. Even in sleep, her pretty face showed her worry for her friend.  
  
He eased out of bed, doing his best not to disturb her, and went to shower and dress for the night. She was waking as he came out of the dressing room.  
  
"Did I wake you?" he asked.  
  
"No." She yawned and stretched. "No, I woke by myself. I had a bit of an adventure today."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
She nodded. "I went to Tesco and bought a basket for the baby. I want to take it back to Romania with us. Anyway, while I was there, there was a man following me around the store."  
  
Vlad froze in pulling a blue t-shirt on over his head. "Excuse me?"  
  
"A very nice woman named Agnes clued me in. I didn't see him, but she described him. It wasn't the master."  
  
He relaxed only fractionally. "Still."  
  
"I know. I was very careful coming home, believe me. I called a cab to come get me."  
  
Though he didn't say it, he was still worried. "What did you get at the store?" he asked instead. "A basket?"  
  
She grinned. "Come see!"  
  
Mina grabbed her mobile off the nightstand and beckoned him to follow her. She led him to one of the guest rooms, the one closest to their room, and did a little "ta da!" motion.  
  
Vlad liked the look of the basket. For one, it was blue. In his day, red had been a masculine colour and blue a feminine one, but that wasn't the case these days. He hefted the basket, turning it over in his hands. It seemed sturdy enough.  
  
"We'll need a real crib for when he's bigger, but this will be nice for when we bring him home," he said.  
  
Mina beamed. Pleased to see her happy, Vlad wrapped his arms around her.

 

* * *

  
  
Though he didn't need regular food, Vlad usually joined Mina for meals, occasionally sampling her cooking or that of their housekeeper. Tonight, he wasn't hungry, having fed during his hunt for Lucy. Instead, he was content to watch Mina enjoy her meal, Chinese food left over from her lunch.  
  
He did, however, steal one of her fortune cookies. "'A loved one will surprise you'," he read aloud. He arched a dark brow at her. "Do you have any surprises for me, iubita mea?"  
  
Mina cocked her head, thinking as she bit into an egg roll. "None that I can think of. You know, those things are more fun if you add things to the end of them. Like 'in bed' or 'in the bathtub'."  
  
Vlad eyed the paper. "'A loved one will surprise you in bed.' Hmm."  
  
"Better than a surprise in the bath," she mused, and he snorted.  
  
"That would depend on the surprise," he told her.  
  
She checked her mobile, as she'd been doing all day. Still no word from Arthur, which meant there was still no word from the police. Mina sighed.  
  
"No word?" Vlad asked softly.  
  
"Not yet." She made a face. "Not that I can trust Arthur to tell me immediately."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"He left angry this morning. We had an argument. Essentially, he said that I don't understand what it is to worry and grieve. Which is a load of bollocks, and I told him so. When Jon died-"  
  
She stopped, looking over at him. Vlad motioned for her to continue.  
  
"It's strange talking about him to you," she said after a moment. "Largely because of . . . Mirena."  
  
"Mina, I know that you loved this Jonathan. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been set to marry him. I know you had a life before me, and I'm not so jealous that I'll forbid you from speaking about that time."  
  
Mina sighed. "It just feels awkward, is all. Um."  
  
"How _did_ he die?"  
  
"He was coming home from his exams, the final ones to be able to practise law. He'd called me and we were going to meet at this restaurant we always went to. I got there, and . . . he never showed. I waited for over an hour. And then . . . I got this call that there'd been an accident. A drunk driver hit Jon's cab, and . . . I saw the cab later. It'd been crushed between the lorry the drunk was driving and a bridge support. They told me that Jon was killed instantly."  
  
Mina folded her hands on the table in front of her, the rubies and emeralds on her wedding ring glowing in the light. "I, um, basically went out of my head for a while. Called Scotland Yard constantly, demanding justice. The driver lost his leg because the engine-  
  
"Anyway, it wasn't enough for me. I wanted him to suffer more, to be thrown in prison instead of languishing in hospital. They did eventually prosecute him for negligent homicide, but . . . It didn't bring Jon back."  
  
Vlad moved to her side of the table and took her hands in his. "I am so sorry that you went through that, my Mina."  
  
She shrugged. "I'm alright. It just irritates me that Arthur thinks I don't know what he's going through. And I'm just as worried about Lucy as he is."  
  
"I know you are. I know."  
  
"I also can't help but wonder if he's not . . . angry with me because of Jon. It's been a little over two years now. And Jon would want me happy. But Jon and Arthur were friends since Eton. It was Jon that introduced him and Lucy."  
  
"You think he feels you're betraying Jon?"  
  
"I dunno. Maybe?"  
  
"Arthur is an idiot if that's what he thinks."  
  
She shook her head. "I'm just telling you what I suspect. I don't know anything for sure."  
  
Her mobile rang then, the buzz sending it dancing across the table. Vlad grabbed it before it could jump over the edge and to the floor. "It's Arthur," he said, looking at the screen.  
  
Mina took the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"Mina?" Arthur spoke in a whisper. "Is Vlad awake?"  
  
"Yes. What's wrong? Have you heard from the police?"  
  
"No. There's something outside the house. I think it's trying to get in."  
  
Mina relayed that to Vlad, who stood. "We're headed over now," she told Arthur. "Don't open the door until we get there."  
  
"Do you think I'm stupid?" he asked.  
  
Rolling her eyes at the phone, Mina hung up instead of answering.  
  
"Yes," Vlad said, with a tiny smirk, having heard clearly Arthur's question. "Yes, I do."  
  
Mina poked him in the arm. "Oh, hush."


	4. Chapter 4

**\--Chapter Four--**  
  
When they got to the Holmwood residence--a detached house of three stories, narrow and fairly utilitarian in outside decoration, but of quality stone--Vlad escorted Mina straight to the front door. When Arthur answered, she went inside, while Vlad went to patrol around the house and see what was causing the fuss.  
  
He found it rather quickly, and cursed Lord Godalming for an idiot. Without bothering to knock, he let himself in.  
  
"What is it?" Arthur asked. "Did you find- Oh."  
  
Vlad held up the kitten. "Really, Godalming? You're terrified of a kitten?"  
  
"There was scratching at the door!" Arthur protested.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure," Vlad said dryly.  
  
Mina came over and plucked the kitten from his hands. "Oh, how cute! Look at its little paws!"  
  
The kitten, a little grey thing with white paws and a white blotch over its nose, crawled up and snuggled into her neck. Mina giggled.  
  
They turned at the sound of footsteps in the open doorway. Lucy stood there, hair wild, face pale. The kitten jumped down from Mina's arms, hissing, and ran to hide under the nearest sofa.  
  
"Lucy!" Mina cried, and took a step forward before she realised that Lucy's eyes were glowing red.  
  
Lucy lunged for Mina, knocking her to the floor. Mina instinctively drew up her knees to keep the vampire at a distance. The bulk of her belly also helped. Pushing at Lucy's shoulder with one hand, she slapped her across the face and snapped, "Get ahold of yourself, Lu!"  
  
The vampire reeled back, a hand to her face, red eyes blinking. Vlad caught hold of her, an arm around her neck.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked his wife.  
  
Arthur rushed over and helped Mina to her feet. Mina thanked him and told Vlad, "I'm okay."  
  
Lucy let out a cry and went limp in Vlad's grasp. She began to sob. Arthur tried to go to her, but Vlad held out a hand to stop him.  
  
"Lucy?" Vlad asked. "Do you know who you are?"  
  
After a moment, she nodded. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt Mina. I'm just so _hungry_."  
  
Vlad knew that feeling all too well. "Have you fed at all since you woke up?"  
  
Lucy's eyes had returned to normal, and they were full of tears. "I think so. It's all such a jumble. This man, he came into the house, and he . . . he hurt Mum, and then he attacked me, and he forced me to drink- drink his _blood_. And I think I passed out. When I woke up, I wasn't at the house, and there was this homeless man . . . Oh, god. Did I kill him?!"  
  
This time, Vlad let Arthur go to his wife. She sobbed in his arms, sitting on the floor of the foyer.  
  
"She's a vampire now," Mina said, somewhat unnecessarily.  
  
"Yes," Vlad murmured.  
  
"Are you going to . . .?" She trailed off, panicked at what his response would be.  
  
He looked from Mina to the hysterical Lucy. "Only if she wants it. Otherwise . . . We'll take her to Romania and I'll teach her to . . . live with what she is."  
  
"You knew this would happen," she said softly.  
  
"When we didn't find her dead with her mother, yes. I feared that was his plan."  
  
"What do we do?"  
  
The kitten scooted out from under the sofa and gave Lucy and Arthur a wide berth as it dashed back to Mina. Vlad picked it up, as Mina couldn't bend over, and handed it back to his wife.  
  
"This is mine now, by the way," she told him.  
  
"I figure as much when you first saw it. As for what we do . . . that depends on Lucy. Though I suspect we should call the police and tell them she's turned up."  
  
With the kitten on her shoulder, Mina did just that. The tiny feline was attracted to her earrings, soft little paws batting at the dangles. She had the thought Ingeras would have adored the kitten, and wondered why he'd never had one.  
  
"Why did you and Mirena never give Ingeras a kitten?" she asked Vlad when she finished her phone call.  
  
"What?" Vlad frowned in confusion. "Cats were considered bad luck back then."  
  
"Oh, right."  
  
The police arrived in short order, and interviewed Lucy. She told them she'd been hit on the head and had no idea what had happened until she'd woken up miles from home with no mobile and no money. She had, she told them, walked all the way home and had arrived to learn her mother was dead. The blood on the stairs, she explained away as from being hit in the face, a nosebleed. That was one injury they couldn't force her to prove, because she healed quickly now and there was no way anything would last long enough to be evidence.  
  
Arthur sat in stony silence through it all, his arm around his wife's shoulders.  
  
"We'll let you get some rest, Lady Godalming," the detective inspector said, as he closed his little notebook. "Though I do think you should go to hospital to be checked out."  
  
"No, I- I want to stay here, at home. I don't feel sick or anything."  
  
The police left. Vlad spent a long time talking with Lucy in low voices, while Mina played with the kitten. Getting Lucy grounded in her new existence was paramount. Mina had to admit, though, that after Vlad's horror stories of so many of their people turning feral after the change, she was relieved that Lucy was strong enough to keep herself.  
  
"Do you think it's safe to leave Lucy here with Arthur?" she asked Vlad as they were leaving.  
  
"She won't attack him. I made her promise that she would leave if she starts thinking about it."  
  
"I hope she's strong enough to keep that promise."

Mina held the kitten in her lap on the way back to the house, the small grey ball of fluff content to sit and purr.  
  
"I think I'll call you Boots," she told the little thing. "Because of your little paws."  
  
Vlad huffed a laugh.  
  
Inside the house, Mina put the kitten down so it could explore.  
  
"We need kitten food, and a litter box," Mina said. "Can we go to the Tesco and get some? It's open twenty-four hours, and I'm so wired over Lucy that I'm not going to be able to sleep for ages yet."  
  
"If you'd like."  
  
Mina shut the kitten in the bathroom with some water and a blanket, and they headed to the Tesco she'd been at earlier in the day. It seemed like a lifetime now, so much had happened since.  
  
"This is the one I want," Mina said, showing Vlad the white wood crib. "I dunno if it'll fit in the boot, though."  
  
"We can try. If necessary, we'll put the seats down in the back and drive with the lid up."  
  
That ended up being necessary to get the box in. Mina rode with the new litter box in her lap, bags of litter and kitten food at her feet. It was a little silly, but having the kitten to focus on gave her something to think about other than the development that Lucy was a _vampire_.  
  
Upstairs in the intended nursery, Vlad set about putting together the crib. Mina sat on the twin-sized bed presently in residence and played with Boots.  
  
Suddenly, a sharp twinge raced up Mina's spine, and she gasped.  
  
"What is it?" Vlad asked, dropping his screwdriver. "Are you hurt?"  
  
"Not . . . the way you're thinking. Ow. I've suddenly got a horrible backache."  
  
Vlad jumped up and moved to sit beside her, sliding his arm around her. "Did you pull something when Lucy knocked you down?"  
  
Another pain spiked through her, lower this time, and she groaned. "Oh, ow. Vlad . . . I think it's the baby."

 

* * *

  
  
Vlad broke nearly every traffic law there was in getting Mina to the hospital. When they got there, it was determined that Mina was, in fact, in labour. The story was that she'd tripped on the stairs while trying not to step on the kitten. It wouldn't do to tell the hospital staff that she'd been pushed down by a vampire hellbent on drinking her blood.  
  
Mina was scared as they stripped her out of her clothes and attached all sorts of monitors to her. One that she recognised was a fetal heart monitor, and it seemed to be beating a lot faster than it had at her last ultrasound.  
  
"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with my baby?" she demanded.  
  
"Your baby's in a bit of distress," the doctor assigned to her informed them. "Just try to relax."  
  
The doctors discussed stopping labour, but with the baby in distress, they weren't certain. Mina's water broke while they were discussing, and it was decided to proceed with delivery. Since Luka was so early, it only took ten minutes of hard labour before he emerged, squalling and flailing his tiny limbs.  
  
"Well, that's a good sign!" the doctor said. "That means he's breathing on his own, which isn't always the case with an infant this early."  
  
Mina held her hands out for the baby. "I want to hold him!"  
  
"We need to check him out and make sure he's alright first," the nurse told her. "Please be patient."  
  
They whisked the baby out of the delivery room, and Mina burst into tears. Vlad hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head.  
  
"You'll hold him soon, _iubita mea_. It's just that he's so small."  
  
"I know, but . . . but what if something happens while they've got him, and I didn't get to hold him?"  
  
"Shh. Nothing will happen to our son. He'll be fine." Vlad stroked his hand up and down her back. "Shh. You need to rest now."  
  
They had Mina cleaned up and resting in a curtained cubicle in the maternity ward when the nurse brought a very small bundle back. The nurse was beaming, which eased a tight band around Mina's heart.  
  
"He's eleven weeks early," the nurse said, "and very small, but all of his vitals checked out that of a full-term baby. We're a little confused, to be honest."  
  
Vlad wasn't. Luka was half vampire. Who knew what else that would mean?  
  
Mina held out her arms. "Let me hold him, please!"  
  
Carefully, the nurse handed him over. She helped Mina get him settled against her chest. He was fuzzy all over, which the nurse said was lanugo hair and would fall off in a few days.  
  
"Ordinarily, babies as early as him have trouble breathing on their own," she told them. "But he's got a good set of lungs on him. We're going to put him in the NICU, where we'll have him on extra oxygen. Keeping those lungs healthy is important. We're also going to have him on some fluids to help him get stronger and put some weight on. Unfortunately, he'll be in hospital for a while yet, but we wanted to let you hold him for a bit first."  
  
"Thank you," Mina whispered.  
  
"I'll give you a few minutes," the nurse said, and excused herself.  
  
Mina cuddled Luka close. She marvelled at his perfect little fingers, wrapped tight around her own.  
  
Vlad gently ran his fingertips over his son's head, smoothing the baby's dark hair. "He is perfect," he told her.  
  
She looked up at her husband and said, "So was Ingeras."  
  
"You remember that?"  
  
Mina nodded. "I don't remember everything, but I remember . . . a lot. I don't remember his actual birth, but I have a memory of being handed the baby. I remember when you came in, and I handed him to you. You cried."  
  
There were tears in her husband's eyes now. "I think I might now."  
  
"Do you want to hold him?" she asked.  
  
"Of course."  
  
He gingerly took the tiny baby, holding him close against his chest. Vlad couldn't believe how _small_ Luka was. He was at least half the size Ingeras had been.  
  
His son's skin was wrinkly and just about translucent, the red of muscle and blue of veins showing through. His hair was dark, though, in little wisps on his small, oddly-shaped head.  
  
"Why is his head shaped so strangely?" Vlad asked.  
  
"Because most of his head is a soft spot. The bones haven't joined in his head, and won't for a while." Mina reached over and touched the baby's tiny arm. "He's so small, Vlad. What are we going to do?"  
  
"Anything we need to," he told her gently. "We'll love him and we'll give him everything he needs to grow up strong and healthy."  
  
Even as Vlad said the words, he hoped they weren't a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those wondering if I've gone insane, I do know what I'm doing, and I know what I'm talking about. I was born 12 weeks early myself, was breathing on my own, and only needed fluids and some extra oxygen. I know this is not the case with all preemies, but that's how it was for me and that's how it is for Luka.


	5. Chapter 5

**\--Chapter Five--**  
  
After the nurse took Luka back to the NICU, Mina slept for a while. Vlad called Lucy to tell her the news.

"What?" she exclaimed. "Which hospital?"  
  
He told her, and she said she was on her way right then.  
  
Vlad checked the sky, saw it was some time 'til dawn. He didn't know if they'd let Lucy in to visit Mina, but she was technically family, wasn't she? Especially now, he mused grimly. Biologically, she was no relation, but by _blood_ , she was family now.  
  
He checked in on Mina, who was sleeping, and went down to the NICU to check on his son. His son! This early birth was frightening and baffling, but Vlad still couldn't help the thrill that ran through him at the thought that his son was here.  
  
Luka wasn't the only child in the NICU, but he was the smallest, and hooked up to the most machinery. It was alarming how small and fragile he looked, in the little bed, with IVs and all sorts of things taped to him.  
  
"Which one is yours?"  
  
Vlad turned at the voice, a young nurse in a white uniform who smiled kindly. "The very, very small one just there."  
  
"Ahh, yes, little Luka! Don't worry, we're going to take very good care of him. Is he your first?"  
  
"Second," Vlad admitted. "But my son passed away."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." She gave him a look that managed to convey sympathy without pity. "And how is Mum doing?"  
  
"She's sleeping. I thought I'd . . ." Vlad trailed off and gestured through the window.  
  
The nurse tilted her head. "You know . . . there's something that we could try that you might be interested in. It's called 'kangaroo care', and it's been known to help preemies immensely."  
  
"What is that?" he asked cautiously.  
  
She smiled. Her name badge, he saw, read "Agnes". He wondered if this was somehow the same Agnes who had warned Mina of the man watching her. "Come with me," she said, and gestured for him to follow her.  
  
Agnes led him into the NICU and brought a chair over next to Luka's little bed. "Sit here," she instructed, "and open your shirt."  
  
Vlad arched a brow.  
  
"No, really. Skin-on-skin contact with a parent has been found to be very beneficial for premature infants." She carefully lifted Luka out of his small cot.  
  
Feeling a little silly and self-conscious, Vlad unbuttoned his shirt. Agnes handed him the baby, both of them cautious with the IV and monitor cords. Vlad rested Luka against his bare chest. The baby let out a "yawp" at being moved, but on contact with Vlad's skin, he seemed to burrow in, small hands grasping at nothing.  
  
Vlad covered Luka's tiny back with one hand, supporting head, neck, and shoulders with his palm. Agnes gestured to the vitals monitor and pointed out how it was helping his son already.  
  
Mina, he knew, was going to want to do this as soon as she was out of bed.  
  
He lightly brushed his fingers over his son's velvety, delicate skin, hyper-aware of how thin and easily injured it was. He couldn't get over how _small_ Luka was, his little hand no bigger than Vlad's thumb where it rested on his chest.  
  
"He'll make it, won't he?" Vlad asked Agnes. "Tell me honestly."  
  
"Well . . . There's always a chance that he won't. Some things are just up to the Lord. But your little one seems to be very strong for how early he is. To be honest, we're all amazed by him. Excuse me."  
  
She went to check on another infant, leaving Vlad cradling his little boy against his chest.

 

* * *

  
  
They let Vlad hold Luka for close to an hour, murmuring softly in his native Romanian to the newborn. When he finally, reluctantly, let them take the baby, he had to admit that this "kangaroo care" had been beneficial for him as well as his son.  
  
He went upstairs and found Lucy sitting by Mina's bedside. Mina was still asleep, and Lucy was reading a tabloid.  
  
"How is he?" she asked in a whisper. "The nurse said you were downstairs with him."  
  
"He's doing well, under the circumstances. But he _is_ nearly eleven weeks early."  
  
Lucy frowned. "I'm so sorry. This is my fault-"  
  
Vlad shook his head, speaking in a low voice so that they wouldn't be overheard. "No. You didn't turn yourself. And you didn't mean to attack Mina, nor did you mean for her to have the child early. This is _his_ doing."  
  
"I remember now. He seemed so nice when Mum answered the door. I remember her saying 'Gerald', but . . . that can't be his name, can it?"  
  
"I highly doubt it, given that he's over a thousand years old."  
  
Lucy wrinkled her nose. "Anyway, she seemed to know him. I was coming down the stairs, and . . . he attacked her. Just-"  
  
She stopped, unable to say it. Lucy swallowed, hard, and took a moment to compose herself. "Then he came after me. It happened so fast. I tried to run, but the stairs are slippery, and I fell. Then he was on me. He slammed my head into one of the steps, and he forced his wrist against my mouth. That's all I remember 'til I woke in the alley in Mayfair."  
  
Vlad nodded absently. "When Arthur told us you were missing, I suspected he'd done this."  
  
The female vampire's mouth tightened at the mention of her husband. Vlad decided that whatever the issue was, it was one best left to Mina.  
  
Lucy forced a smile. "Is he cute? I'll bet he's cute!"  
  
Vlad let her change the subject. "He's very small. And wrinkly, and a bit see-through. But I suppose you could say he's cute."  
  
"He'd better be," Mina mumbled. "You say he's ugly and I'll stab you."  
  
"Mina!" Lucy leaned over and hugged her friend. "I'm sorry, did we wake you?"  
  
"Yes, but it's alright." Mina sat up, wincing a little. To her husband, she said, "You were with Luka."  
  
"I was. I did something called 'kangaroo care'."  
  
Mina grinned. "I know what that is. I wish I could have seen it."  
  
"What's kangaroo whatever?" Lucy asked.  
  
"It's skin-on-skin cuddling," Mina told her. "Lu, are you okay? I mean, being here?"  
  
Lucy shrugged. "I've really nowhere else to be. I scare the hell out of Arthur, apparently, and Mum's . . ."  
  
Mina reached over and squeezed Lucy's hand. "You're always welcome with us."  
  
"Especially now, right?" Lucy let out a bitter laugh. "I've joined the circus of the damned."  
  
Vlad stood and offered his hand to Lucy. "Come, I'll take you home. It's nearly dawn."  
  
"I drove. And don't you need to be home before then, too?"  
  
"I'll ride with you. And no. I'll teach you why soon enough." Vlad kissed Mina softly. "I'll be back soon, iubita mea."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere."  
  


* * *

 

  
On the drive back to the Holmwood residence, Vlad was quiet for a long time.  
  
"My offer still stands," he told her, as they neared her house.  
  
Lucy drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. "And I'm still saying no. I'm not going to let this defeat me. I'm going to . . . adjust."  
  
"That's a good attitude to have. And I'm truly sorry you were dragged into this, Lucy. He's playing a game with me and you were collateral damage."  
  
"Are you going to turn Mina?" she asked.  
  
"Eventually, probably. She wants a few children first. We weren't planning on Luka arriving so soon, though."  
  
"I _am_ sorry about that. I feel awful that I attacked her, and that it led to Luka being premature."  
  
Vlad closed his eyes for a moment. "Has Mina told you about Mirena?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I thought she might. Mirena . . . _Mina_ . . . was pregnant seven times, that we know of. Only our first was born healthy. The rest we lost before more than a few weeks had passed. That Luka was even born at all is . . . still a happy thing for us."  
  
Lucy shook her head. "That must be so confusing for Mina, to have this whole other life in her head."  
  
"It has been, but it's also been a source of some joy for us. I know it's odd, but it's true."  
  
"Who was Ingeras?"  
  
"Did Mina mention him?"  
  
"In passing."  
  
Vlad sighed. "He was our son. After Mirena died and I was forced into the shadows, he took the throne in my place. He was only eleven. He ruled for about ten years, then was forced into exile in Transylvania."  
  
"That's really sad. Do you have descendants running around?"  
  
"Most likely, though I don't know who they are. Ingeras had at least one son."  
  
"You don't know for sure?"  
  
"I never spoke to him again after the day I became this and his mother died. I couldn't."  
  
Ingeras had spoken to him once, though, the night his son had been born. Vlad had stood in the shadows outside the small house Ingeras and his wife lived in, in their exile, and waited until he'd heard the baby's cry. And his son had come outside, had spoken only three words: "You're a grandfather."  
  
He'd never learned the child's name.  
  
Lucy pulled up into her driveway. "Well, I'm here. You'd better get back to Mina."  
  
"I should. Be safe, Lucy."  
  
He turned and dissolved into a swarm of bats, flying off into the pre-dawn sky.  
  
Lucy watched him go, thinking that would be useful to learn, and let herself into the house.  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**\--Chapter Six--**  
  
Mina was released from the hospital late the next day. Vlad thought it was entirely too soon, but apparently the hospital didn't think so.  
  
"Mirena was abed after Ingeras's birth for a week!" he grumbled.  
  
"And she caught a fever and nearly died, remember? It's not good to lie around like that."  
  
"You are going to rest," he told her.  
  
She nodded. "Rest, yes. Be an invalid, no."  
  
She went to drag herself up the stairs to their room, and Vlad swept her up in his arms.  
  
"Rest," he reiterated.  
  
"I can walk, you know."  
  
"Humour me, Mina."  
  
"Alright, alright."  
  
Mina had worn pajamas home from the hospital, and she crawled into bed straight away, her protests mostly a bluff. She was very sore and tired, and her whole body felt odd.  
  
She fluffed the pillows, arranged the blankets to her liking, and then burst into tears. Vlad was immediately at her side.  
  
"What is it, _iubita mea_?" he asked urgently. "How can I help?"  
  
Mina waved her hand in front of her face. "It's just hormones. And thinking about Luka. I'm so scared for him, Vlad."  
  
Vlad kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. "Shh. It's alright."  
  
"No, it's not! He's not ready yet! And- and Lucy's a vampire, and Eleanor's dead, and I can't hold my baby!"  
  
Mina pressed her face against his chest, fingers curled in his shirt, and sobbed. Vlad stroked her hair, murmuring comforting things under his breath. She heard them, but since he was speaking largely in Romanian, she didn't understand most of it. Even after a year and a half there, her comprehension of the language was still largely restricted to a tourist's conversational dialogue.  
  
After a while, her tears subsided. Mina toyed with a button on his shirt and sighed shakily.  
  
"You still haven't held up your end of the deal," she whispered.  
  
"What deal is that?" he asked gently.  
  
"I agreed to go to dinner with you if you'd help me improve my Romanian. So far, all you've taught me are curse words."  
  
Vlad burst out laughing. "Ah, Mina. Only you would think of that at a time like this. I'll make you a new one: I'll teach you alongside our son."  
  
She sat up, her hair mussed. "You're just trying to get out of it. Luka won't be able to speak for months."  
  
Mina raked her fingers through her hair. Then she noticed the mess she'd made of his shirt. "Oh, I'm sorry. Your shirt is all gross now."  
  
Vlad sat up and gave a shrug. He unbuttoned it and tossed it on the floor. "Problem solved."  
  
The bedroom door swung open, and a tiny grey face appeared just a few inches off the floor. Boots trotted in, launched herself at the bedspread, and climbed up. Mina crooked a finger at the kitten, and Boots scampered across the bed to bat with tiny paws at her hand.  
  
"I wonder why Lucy scared her, but you didn't," Mina mused aloud.  
  
"Because Lucy was a threat and I'm not?" Vlad held a finger out for the kitten to sniff. Boots attacked his finger instead, rabbit kicking his hand.  
  
Mina laughed. "She's coming home with us."  
  
She picked up and cuddled the kitten. Boots protested for a few moments, then began to purr and rubbed her face on Mina's hand.  
  
"I'm still amused that Arthur was scared of a cat."  
  
"Was it just Boots, though? What if Lucy was trying to get in before she regained control of herself?"  
  
"That could very well be true," he acknowledged. "But I like the idea of him being scared of a kitten."  
  
"You just don't like him."  
  
"No, I don't. I never have, though I didn't feel I knew Lucy well enough to speak to her choices. But he's quite clearly shown his character these past few days, and I'm not pleased."  
  
Mina lay back down, the kitten on her chest. "He's been upset, but yes. I know what you mean. I feel so bad for him and Lucy. They've only been married a month."  
  
"And likely for not much longer," Vlad said darkly. "I'm fairly certain that he's going to vanish on her. I've known men like him in the past."  
  
"Oh, I hope not. She loves him."  
  
"He's not as strong as you are, Mina. His world view doesn't allow for marriage to a vampire. Mark my words, he'll be gone from her life before the next full moon."  
  
Vlad tossed the covers back and stood. "I'm going to call Renfield and let him know we'll be staying a while longer. Do you want anything while I'm up?"  
  
"No, that's alright. I think Boots and I are going to take a nap."  
  
  


* * *

 

 

Mina went back to the hospital the next day, taking Vlad's car while he was asleep. She got to hold and cuddle Luka, which went a long way towards making her feel better.  
  
"Hi, sweetheart," she whispered. "How's my good little boy? Mummy is so worried for you."  
  
"Mina?!"  
  
She looked up to see Agnes standing nearby, looking very surprised. "Agnes! Hello again!"  
  
"Oh, is Luka yours? I just knew there was something about him."  
  
"Yes, this is my little one." Mina kissed the top of Luka's head. "I didn't know you work here."  
  
"Yes, I'm a nurse. What a coincidence! Oh, did you ever find out who that creepy man was?"  
  
Mina shook her head. "Never saw him, haven't noticed him since. But I've been a bit occupied."  
  
Agnes drew up a chair. "I'll say! I'll bet you weren't expecting to have him so soon."  
  
"No, he was a very small surprise." Mina thought back to Vlad's fortune cookie and laughed. "A very welcome surprise, though."  
  
"He's doing very well. He rolled himself over during the night, used that split we've got there on his leg to keep the IV steady. Just pushed himself right over. Then he got angry that he couldn't roll back over, poor thing."  
  
Mina smiled broadly. "Sounds just like his daddy."  
  
"I met your husband the other day," Agnes told her. "I think he's going to be a very hands-on father."  
  
"Yes, he is. He was with his first son."  
  
Agnes nodded. "He mentioned that he'd had a boy who died?"  
  
"With his first wife," Mina said, only a little surprised that Vlad had mentioned Ingeras. The boy was on both their minds a lot lately. "He lost them a few years back, on the same day."  
  
"Oh, how sad. If you don't mind my asking, how did it happen?"  
  
"They were on a family trip, hiking in the Carpathian Mountains. That's in Romania, where Vlad is from. There was an accident. He doesn't talk about it much."  
  
Mina made a mental note to ask Vlad what had really happened to Ingeras. He'd said something about Ingeras being exiled, but that wasn't enough information.  
  
She had to leave, eventually, which made her profoundly unhappy. Even though her arm got tired, she could have held her son all day. But she got to nurse him before she left, and had instructions on pumping her milk between visits so they could feed him her milk when they could.  
  
It was raining when she left. Being England, that was no surprise. When Mina got back to the house, she found a drenched Lucy sitting on her front step.  
  
"Lucy! What are you doing out here? Didn't you ring the bell?"  
  
"I just got here," Lucy said, and raised her head. Her face was red and blotchy from crying.  
  
Mina hustled her into the house and got her a towel to dry off with. "You should have rung the bell!"  
  
"I thought you were at the hospital with the baby."  
  
"I was, but Vlad's home. What's wrong?"  
  
Fresh tears spilled down Lucy's cheeks. "Arthur wants an annulment. He says he can't be married to- to a vampire."  
  
"Arthur," Mina told her, "is a prick. If he can't handle what you are, you don't need him."  
  
"But I love him!"  
  
Mina sat down beside her, sliding her arm around her friend's shoulders. "I know. I loved Jonathan, and losing him was difficult. There are times when I still miss him. But Jon wasn't right for me, and it sounds like Arthur isn't right for you."  
  
"I don't want to _be_ this," Lucy whispered. "But I don't want to die."  
  
"You can still enjoy everything you did before, Lu, you just . . . have to drink blood and you can't go out in the sun." Mina ran her fingers through Lucy's red hair. "It's not like you were any good at sunbathing, anyway, with _that_ complexion."  
  
Lucy let out a laugh, then clapped a hand over her mouth in surprise. "I shouldn't be laughing. Everything is falling apart."  
  
"No, sweetie, it's good that you can still laugh. It means you're still alive. Look. Arthur swore in sickness and in health, and this is the biggest 'sickness' thing I can imagine happening, other than, oh, cancer. If he can't hold to his vows, you need to dump his arse and find someone who can love you anyway."  
  
"Who's going to love a vampire?" Lucy wailed.  
  
"Well," Mina said slowly, "I do. I love Vlad, and I love you. Not in the same ways, of course, but you know what I mean."  
  
Lucy hiccuped and wiped at her eyes. "Everything's gone so wrong. The police still have Mum's house cordoned off, and I can't stay with Arthur."  
  
"Stay here. There's room. After all you and your mum did for me, the very least I can do is put a roof over your head when you need it."  
  
Boots wandered in, eyed Lucy suspiciously, and apparently decided it was safe to approach. She did so cautiously, devoting quite some time to sniffing Lucy's damp shoes.  
  
"You probably don't remember Boots," Mina said. "You were a little . . . not yourself."  
  
"Where did she come from?"  
  
"Vlad found her outside your house. She's apparently decided I'm Mummy."  
  
Lucy picked up the kitten. "Speaking of, how's Luka?"  
  
"He's doing well, all things considered. Vlad and I think it's a lot to do with his being . . . half vampire. Soon as he reaches a better weight, they'll let us take him home."  
  
The stairs creaked. Boots jumped out of Lucy's grasp and took off for the hallway. She reappeared on Vlad's heels, trying to attack his feet.  
  
"I thought I heard your voices down here. Good afternoon, Lucy." Vlad bent and kissed Mina hello. "Did you get to see Luka today?"  
  
"I did. He's put on an ounce since yesterday." To Lucy, she said, "That might not seem like much, but with as little as he is, every bit counts."  
  
Lucy nodded. She was watching the kitten pounce on Vlad's toes. "Mina's invited me to stay a while," she said. "Hope you don't mind, but Arthur's essentially kicked me out for being a blood-sucking freak."  
  
Vlad picked up the kitten, and as he straightened, he looked at Mina significantly. "As I told you, you always have a place with us."  
  
"I . . . Thanks."  
  
"I suppose now is as good a time as any to teach you some tricks," Vlad said.  
  
Mina stretched and stood. "I'm going to make up a room for Lucy. You two have fun turning into bats."  
  
"And wolves," Vlad put in.  
  
Lucy's brown eyes went round. "I can turn into a wolf?"  
  
Vlad grinned.  
  
Mina rolled her eyes and left them to it.


	7. Chapter 7

**\--Chapter Seven--**  
  
After a night spent taking "vampire lessons" from Vlad, and chatting with Mina during the times she was awake, Lucy decided that she was going to give Arthur what he wanted and, in her words, tell him where to stick it.  
  
Lucy was angry enough that the sky was dark when they went to meet with Arthur and file papers. Mina didn't blame her in the slightest, and part of her was surprised Lucy hadn't just ripped Arthur's head off.  
  
They were told that unless they had a reason to declare the marriage voidable, they needed to wait twelve months and then file for divorce. Lucy tried to claim Arthur had erectile dysfunction, he called her something foul, and a huge row erupted.  
  
Vlad hauled the irate Lucy out, while Mina tried to smooth things over with Arthur. When he called her a "fang-banger", she called him something unrepeatable and stormed out.  
  
"That went well," she said when they all got to the car.  
  
"I could just kill him and be done with it," Vlad offered.  
  
Lucy laughed darkly. "I'm half-tempted," she admitted.  
  
"I actually like the divorce idea better," Mina told her. "Draw it out and torment him."  
  
Lucy arched a copper brow at her friend. "What'd he do to get _you_ riled up?"  
  
When Mina told her, Lucy tried to get out of the car and go after her husband. Vlad grabbed her and sat her back down.  
  
He started the car. "No one is killing anyone. Except possibly me. I've done enough of that over the centuries, my soul is pretty stained."  
  
Mina smacked his arm. "It is not. Quit saying that."  
  
"How many people _have_ you killed, out of curiosity?" Lucy asked from the back seat.  
  
"A few thousand," Vlad said after a moment. "There were times when . . . I had to make terrible choices."  
  
"And then there was the time you went and killed a thousand Turks all by yourself," Mina said dryly. "And _impaled them outside the castle_."  
  
Lucy didn't seem as bothered by the conversation as she once would have been. "Is it true that the nobles killed your brother, so you killed them?"  
  
Vlad glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Yes," he said. "Is that in the history books?"  
  
"At least one of them. This guy I was dating in secondary did a report on you in our history class. Buried him alive, wasn't it? I'd kill them, too."  
  
Mina gave Lucy a horrified look. "Lu!"  
  
"No, _dragă_ , it's fine. Yes, they burned his eyes out with hot coals and then buried him alive, face down. For that, they died."  
  
Mina shook her head. "I have no memory of this whatsoever."  
  
Vlad's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "That's because I never told Mirena about it. She knew Mircea had died, and I was heir, but I never told her what I did about it."  
  
There was a lot he hadn't told Mirena, and there were things he still needed to tell Mina.  
  


* * *

 

  
They got back to the house, and as it was still daytime, the two vampires went to bed. Mina was up for a bit, making the nursery ready for Luka. When she went to take a nap, she found Vlad awake and staring at the ceiling.  
  
"Something bothering you?" she inquired.  
  
"I want to talk to you about Ingeras."  
  
Mina sat down and pulled her shoes off. "What about him?"  
  
"I told you that he was exiled after he ruled for ten years?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"What I didn't tell you was that when he was twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine, he made a bid for the throne again. There was a battle."  
  
A lump formed in Mina's throat. "He died, didn't he?"  
  
"They never found him," he said softly. "I wasn't there. I'd been driven from where I was hiding by vampire hunters. There was a man, what you'd call a serial killer now, who was killing people. Being superstitious, they thought it was a vampire. They didn't understand serial killers. Anyway, I was hiding somewhere else. When it was safe to come back, I found that he'd . . . disappeared. Many had died in the battle, buried by the enemy in mass graves."  
  
"And he was never the type to run and hide," Mina whispered.  
  
"No. No, he wasn't." Vlad rolled to his side and reached a hand out for her. Mina let him draw her across the bed to him. "Witnesses said they saw his horse riderless after the fighting. I tried to find him, but . . ."  
  
It would have been dark when he was searching, and likely long enough after that all scent of Ingeras was gone, never mind the mess of all the death around. Mina understood without his saying that it had been horrific.  
  
"Why are you telling me this now?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Because he's been on my mind frequently, with Luka's birth. And Lucy asked about him. I realised I never told you, and I didn't want to tell her before I told you."  
  
Mina touched the stubble on his cheek, lightly caressed his jaw. "I was hoping he lived a long life, even in exile, and died at an old age."  
  
"He was a Dracula," Vlad pointed out. "The only way we get a long life is if we're cursed with it."  
  
"I for one am grateful you've lived this long. Otherwise I wouldn't have known you." Mina kissed his chin. "Go to sleep. We have a baby to go visit tonight."  
  
"They're not making us stick with visiting hours?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. They said we could visit nearly any time. Just in case."  
  
Vlad hugged Mina close, burying his face against her hair. Neither wanted to talk about "just in case".  
  


* * *

 

  
Lucy went with them to the hospital. She got to hold and coo over Luka, and she declared that anyone who tried to hurt her "little boo bear" would face her wrath.  
  
"She's definitely godmother material," Mina told Vlad.  
  
After they visited Luka, they descended on Arthur Holmwood's residence and moved Lucy's things out. It was fortunate that she hadn't finished moving _in_ , so there wasn't much beyond clothes to haul away.  
  
"I can't believe I have to stay married to that git for a year before I can be free of him," Lucy sighed as she and Mina drank hot cocoa in the kitchen of the Dracula household. "It's too bad I can't say 'This marriage is voidable because I'm a vampire and he's a prejudiced little coward'."  
  
Mina laughed. "Then they'd declare it voidable on account of your being _insane_ , and they'd lock you up!"  
  
"I know," Lucy replied morosely. "He seemed *fine* knowing that Vlad is a vampire. Why does _my_ being one make such a difference?"  
  
"I dunno, Lu."  
  
"So this place you've got in Romania. You sure it's big enough for me to stay there with you?"  
  
Mina picked up a marshmallow that had missed her mug and dropped it into her chocolate. She wanted something a little stronger than marshmallows, but she was breastfeeding and couldn't risk passing anything to Luka.  
  
"It's a manor house," she told Lucy. "There are plenty of bedrooms."  
  
"Hmm."  
  
"How are you doing, Lu? I mean . . . with the vampire thing?"  
  
Lucy took a gulp of her chocolate. Unlike Mina, hers had brandy in it. Not that it was likely to affect the vampire. "If I could change what I am, I would. But I can't. I know I'm stuck like this, and I hate it, but I'm going to be young and fabulous forever, right?"  
  
"That's one way to look at it."  
  
Lucy's brown eyes fixed on Mina. "I think, though, even if I could go back to being normal, I wouldn't take Arthur back. He's shown what he's made of, and it's nothing I need."  
  
"I'm so sorry he's turned out to be like this. I really thought he loved you enough to deal with it."  
  
Shaking her head, Lucy drained the rest of her chocolate. "He's a spoiled bastard. He didn't grow up like us. Me without my father, you without your mum or dad. We're of stronger stuff than him."  
  
Mina nodded. "Speaking of your mum . . . We need to arrange funeral details."  
  
Lucy shrugged. "Can't 'til they release Mum's body, can we? When I find the bastard that did this, I'm going to tear his head off."  
  
"There'll be a line for that," Vlad said from the doorway. "Maybe Mina and I will hold him down while you take his head off."  
  
"That sounds like a plan," Mina said.  
  
Lucy tossed a marshmallow at her friend. "Oi, that reminds me. When are _you_ gonna change?"  
  
Mina arched a blonde brow. "Into what? A vampire?"  
  
Vlad pulled up a chair. "Not for a while yet, if she _does_."  
  
"Eventually," she told him. "Someday I will."  
  
"Are you sure?" Lucy asked her. "It's been a bitch so far."  
  
Mina took her husband's hand. "I'll suffer for eternity if I'm doing it with you."  
  
"Do you have any idea how jealous I am of you two and your sickening devotion?" Lucy asked idly. "I thought I was going to find that, and . . ."  
  
"You'll find someone who doesn't care what you are," Mina assured her. "But it might take a while."  
  
"It's not like I don't have time," Lucy sighed.  
  
Vlad laced his fingers with Mina's. "That's one advantage to being a vampire. Time is certainly one thing you have plenty of."  
  
 _"Perhaps we weren't meant to rule in this life."_  
  
 _"Do you remember our wedding poem? 'Why think separately of this life and the next-"_  
  
 _"-When one is born from the last."_  
  
 _"Time is always too short for those who need it. But for those who love, it lasts forever."_  
  
Mina looked at Vlad, knowing that for once, they were remembering the same thing.

 

* * *

  
  
October left, and November arrived. Eleanor Westenra's body was released and she was buried beside her husband George. Arthur did not attend the funeral, and word spread quickly amongst society that he'd done something horrible to Lucy, who had left him.  
  
Luka was in the hospital for four more weeks. He gained weight and size faster than anticipated by the doctors, and weighed four pounds when he was released.   
  
Mina put him in the wicker basket she'd bought, and he was very small in it. "I feel like he's going to fall out, he's so little."   
  
Vlad rested his chin on her shoulder and gazed at their son. "He'll grow. It's not as if it rocks or anything. It's a good, sturdy bed for him."  
  
"I just can't help getting anxious. I'm surprised they even let us have him."  
  
"At the rate he's growing, he'll be up to where he's supposed to be soon enough. They explained that he's doing excellently, he's just very small."  
  
"I know, I know." Mina sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the basket a little closer. Luka was asleep, swaddled the blanket that Mina had made for him.  
  
She gently brushed his cheek with a fingertip. The lanugo had fallen off, as they'd been told it would, leaving just the average baby peach fuzz behind. The dark hair on his head, though, only continued to get thicker.  
  
"He's got your hair," she told Vlad. "Look at all that."  
  
"And your eyes," Vlad pointed out.  
  
"Oh, it'll be hard to tell for a while yet. Most babies are born with blue eyes." She smiled. "But he definitely has your nose, not mine."  
  
Vlad's expression was full of love, both for her and their son. "I think we'll stay here a few more days, then take him home to Târgoviște."  
  
"Lucy wants to keep the family house here in England, but she wants to come stay with us for a while," Mina told him. "I think, once she's learned better control of everything, she'll be able to stay here without us to watch over her."  
  
Vlad nodded. Once her mother's house had been released as a crime scene, Lucy had moved back into it. She'd made some extensive redecorating choices, such as blinds to block out the sun in most of the rooms. Her housekeeper thought it was just grief. The woman was going to either have to be clued in to Lucy's new nature, or be replaced.  
  
When he said this to Mina, she said, of their own housekeeper's daughter, "She could hire Iulia. She'd love to come to London, I'm sure."  
  
"Why do I feel you have an ulterior motive in getting rid of Iulia?" Vlad asked mildly.  
  
Mina looked just a little guilty. "She's a good girl, but . . . she glares at me and I don't like the way she looks at you. If she were to, say, be Lucy's personal assistant, just imagine how excited she'd be. Lucy would insist she get a whole new wardrobe, and Iulia's eighteen. She'd eat it up."  
  
"When Lucy is with us in Romania, we'll bring it up to everyone," Vlad decided. "If Iulia's not interested, there's no point in pursuing it."  
  
Mina nodded. Still, she wanted to find a way around the troublesome teen, and she felt that Lucy was it.


	8. Chapter 8

**\--Chapter Eight--**  
  
Vlad chartered another private jet to take everyone to Romania when it was time. It was early evening and overcast when they arrived, the storm following them from London at Vlad's volition. Mina had never been so relieved to be home, and as soon as Vlad parked the car, she swept Luka into the house and up to his nursery.  
  
Lucy eyed the manor and the little cottage across the courtyard, where the housekeeper and her daughter lived. She took in the orchard, and the acres of vineyard and outbuildings.  
  
"This is quite the setup you've got here. But really, a vineyard? That doesn't seem very you."  
  
"I was looking for something to occupy myself with in 1952, and this was available," Vlad told her. "I've considered selling and getting into something else, but Mina loves the house and as it's in the middle of the land . . ."  
  
"Sell the land, sell the house. Right."  
  
Vlad introduced Lucy to Sveta and Iulia, and explained to his housekeeper that Lucy was like him, a vampire, and would be staying for a time with them at the house.  
  
"I see you bring the baby," Sveta told him. "Is Mistress Mina alright?"  
  
"Yes, she and Luka are both doing well, thank you."  
  
"The baby is very early, though. I thought Mistress Mina wasn't due until January."  
  
"Mina fell and it caused her to go into premature labour," Vlad explained, leaving Lucy out of it entirely. "But he's big enough now to be home."  
  
Vlad gave Lucy a tour of the house and showed her to a guest room. Mina was still occupied with getting Luka settled, which would probably be the case for most of the evening.  
  
"If there's anyone who was meant to be a mother, it's Mina," Lucy observed. "You're holding off on changing her so that you can have more children, aren't you?"  
  
He nodded slightly. "Mirena and I only had one. We tried. Mina thinks that Mirena and I were Rh incompatible. Since she and I aren't incompatible, we want to try for at least one more before she turns."  
  
"Is she really sure she wants to?" Lucy asked quietly. "Because I wouldn't wish this on her."  
  
"She doesn't want to die and leave me hunting for her for centuries again. I wasn't ever even sure if she _would_ come back."  
  
Lucy shook her head. "That's such a strange thing, that you knew she'd reincarnate, so you looked for her."  
  
"To be honest, I'd stopped looking when I found Mina."  
  
"Maybe if I swear off men, I'll find one that doesn't cross himself when I walk into the room. Even when he's not Catholic." Lucy excused herself and headed up to her assigned room.  
  
Vlad went up to the nursery, where he found Mina in the rocking chair, nursing Luka. "How is his appetite?" he asked her.  
  
"He's greedy tonight, which is good. I worry when he's not hungry." Mina shifted Luka a little and the baby grumbled at her, which made her grin.  
  
"I got Lucy settled."  
  
Mina winced. "Sorry. I brought Luka up here and he started squalling."  
  
Vlad smiled. "No, don't worry about it. Luka is your first priority."  
  
Honestly, Vlad could watch Mina with the baby forever. Luka's eyes were closed, his little hands fisted against his mother's breast. Mina rubbed small circles on Luka's back, which she told him was supposed to help with air bubbles.  
  
He sat on the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees. "I remember," Vlad said, "when Ingeras was a baby, he was the most demanding little thing when he was hungry. He'd yell impatiently until Mirena physically shut him up with her breast."  
  
Mina snickered. "Every two hours like clockwork, he'd start screaming at the top of his lungs!"  
  
"I wanted a wet nurse for him, but-"  
  
"-Mirena wouldn't have it." Mina shook her head. "When you make the choice to breastfeed, it's . . . a very personal, intimate thing with your baby. A lot of women bottlefeed these days, but I always knew I'd breastfeed if I could. He's _mine_. I don't want someone else feeding him unless I can't."  
  
That was exactly what Mirena had said, in those precise words, when he'd suggested the nurse for Ingeras. Vlad's smile faltered for a fraction of a second, and he wondered when, if ever, Mina would get a handle on her memories of Mirena and stop switching between "her" and "I".  
  
"I also let Renfield know that we're back in Romania. He's going to come by tomorrow evening and bring some documents I need to look over."  
  
"Mm. Does Renfield know what you are?"  
  
Vlad nodded. "Over the years . . . I seem to have this ability to attract odd people. Like Skelgim. They just seem to _know_ what I am. I'm not talking about Sveta's family, who've been in service to me from generation to generation. I'm talking about random people off the street who come up and call me 'Master'. I don't know how or why they do it, but . . . Renfield did about ten years ago. And he's been incredibly competent and faithful ever since."  
  
Mina frowned. "That _is_ odd. I've never heard him call you anything but 'sir'."  
  
Her husband snorted and shook his head. "It took me two weeks to break him of the habit and convince him I preferred 'sir'."  
  
"Ah. Well . . . any time you want me to call you 'Master', all you have to do is ask." Mina winked at him and he laughed.  
  
"Too much information!" Lucy said as she entered the nursery.  
  
Mina quickly adjusted the blanket over the baby for privacy. "Is your room alright?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, it's lovely. I can see why you like the house so much, though I think _I_ prefer your London one. But this one is very . . ."  
  
"Archaic?" Vlad asked dryly.  
  
"Yes, exactly."  
  
Mina did a little shifting of the baby under the blanket, switching him to the other side. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be very entertaining," Mina told her friend. "It's too cold to take Luka outside, and everything interesting is in Bucharest."  
  
Lucy waved a hand. "I'm an adult, I can entertain myself. Right now, all I want is a long, hot bath and to catch up on 'Downton Abbey'."  
  
"I'm going to go to bed soon as I've finished feeding Luka," Mina said. "Which shouldn't take much longer. Are you in a room with an ensuite?"  
  
"I'm not an idiot," Vlad said. "And only two of the bedrooms don't have ensuites."  
  
Mina gave her husband a smile. "No, you're not. I just wanted to make sure."  
  
"I'm going to go patrol the grounds," Vlad said. "Call if you need anything."  
  
"I'm sure we'll be fine, but I will."  
  
He left, and Lucy yawned.  
  
"I'm not used to this sudden switch of my schedule, still," she told Mina. "I've always been a morning person, and now I have to sleep during the day."  
  
"Technically speaking, you don't _have_ to sleep during the day, it's just easier to if you can't go outside 'til dark."  
  
The baby finished eating, and Mina rearranged her top before gently burping him. Lucy watched for a moment before saying, "You take so naturally to this."  
  
"Technically, I've been through it before," Mina told her. "Before I got Mirena's memories, I was scared and feeling unprepared. But ever since, it feels familiar, like I've done it before."  
  
"What's that like, to have memories of raising a child that you _didn't_?"  
  
Mina shrugged. "Very strange sometimes. At others, I don't even think about it. It just is."  
  
"Still . . ."  
  
"Still," Mina agreed.

 

* * *

  
  
Luka's cry woke Mina in the middle of the night, but Vlad was there before Mina could sit up.  
  
"I have him," her husband whispered as he scooped up the baby. "Is he hungry, do you think?"  
  
Mina blearily checked the clock. "He shouldn't be. I fed him a little over an hour ago and he's on a two hour schedule. It's probably his nappie."  
  
"I'll take care of it. You go back to sleep."  
  
Nodding, Mina burrowed back into her pillow, Vlad's footsteps fading as he took the baby off to the nursery, where his changing table was. Eventually, they'd keep Luka in the nursery, but Mina wanted him close while he was still so small.  
  
She closed her eyes and sighed, but sleep wouldn't come. After tossing and turning for a while, she threw the covers off and went to locate husband and son. She found Vlad sitting in the rocking chair, Luka against his shoulder, singing softly some old Romanian lullaby that she recognised from Mirena's memories. Still, she couldn't have translated it if her life depended on it.  
  
"He likes the sound of your voice," Mina told her husband. "He always settles right down when you talk to him."  
  
"I know. Ingeras was the same." Vlad brushed a kiss against the top of Luka's small head.   
  
Mina crossed the space between them, and lightly touched Vlad's hair. She loved the thick, dark waves. "I'm not mad at you for him," she said. "For Ingeras. If you're wondering."  
  
He reached up and caught her hand, kissed her fingers. "I know. I don't know why you're so forgiving of me."  
  
"What is there to forgive, Vlad? You've only ever done the best you could for us."  
  
"It never feels like it's enough," he murmured.  
  
Mina leaned over the back of the chair and kissed his cheek. "If you ever reach the point where you feel you've done enough for us, that's when you've failed us, darling. And I know you won't do that."  
  
"Never," he swore.  
  
"Then there's nothing to worry about." She pressed a kiss to his temple. "You're everything to me, you know. You and Luka. I could end my teaching career here, and it would be okay as long as I have the two of you."  
  
The baby stretched and yawned, flailing one tiny hand. Mina caught his hand and he grabbed her finger tightly, his little eyes squeezing shut.  
  
"I just wish I knew what the master's endgame was," Vlad sighed. "I hate waiting for him to make his next move."  
  
"I know. I think that's part of it. But you said that he wanted your help. Why would he torment us if he wants you to help him?"  
  
"Because he's insane?" Vlad suggested. "He said . . ."  
  
He paused, trying to remember the vampire's words after so long. "He said something about a game with the fate of the world in the balance, one of hope and despair."  
  
"I'm guessing that he's on despair's side, and we're hope."  
  
"That seems likely."  
  
Vlad shifted Luka in his arms. "Go back to bed, Mina. I'll bring him back in when he's asleep."  
  
"Okay." She ran her fingers through Vlad's hair. "I'm tempted to tell you not to stay up too late, but your bedtime isn't for hours yet."  
  
"I'll join you soon," he told her.  
  
She went back to bed. Sleep wasn't much easier than before, but as she heard Vlad resume singing to their son, she finally drifted off.


	9. Chapter 9

**\--Chapter Nine--**  
  
The next evening, as Vlad was seeing Renfield off, he noticed movement in the dark of the orchard.  
  
"So you've finally decided to show yourself," he said.  
  
The master stepped out into the light of the courtyard, twirling a cane in his clawed hands. "I felt you should get settled in first."  
  
"Do you mind explaining why you've been tormenting us these past months?"  
  
His creator grinned, showing fangs. Vlad's own fangs came and went at will, but he thought perhaps this one had no choice and was stuck that way. Idly, Vlad hoped he never turned into quite the monster this thing was.  
  
"I told you, we're trapped in an immortal game. And it's quite your fault that I'm free to do so."  
  
Vlad gritted his teeth. "I'm aware of that failing, believe me. What do you want?"  
  
"I said I'd come for you, to serve me."  
  
"And I said no."  
  
"No," the vampire repeated, and looked oddly delighted, blue eyes glowing an intense red. "Yes, you said that before. You also said you wouldn't drink. Didn't you?"  
  
Vlad clenched his hands at his sides. "What do you _want_?"  
  
"Your servitude. I've recently lost my other servant, but he was never my ideal. You, however . . . I'd quite like to break you."  
  
"I will _never_ be your slave."  
  
"No?" The vampire grinned again, licked his lips, and Vlad fought not to shudder, remembering the thing's tongue on his neck, tasting his blood that long-ago day.  
  
"Because of you, I lost my wife," Vlad hissed.  
  
"Yes, you did, didn't you? And I told you that by drinking human blood, you would destroy all that you hold dear, including your wife and son." The vampire cocked his head, glanced towards the house. "Come to think of it, I never said _which_ wife and son."  
  
"You stay _away_ from them!"  
  
"I don't want your wife. I couldn't care less about her. It's the boy I want. To ensure your cooperation. Do as I say, and he lives. Disobey me, and . . ." He shrugged. "She'll never forgive you. Not a second time."  
  
The vampire stepped backwards, towards the shadows. "I'll give you three days to choose. Your freedom or your son."  
  
Then he was gone. For the second time in his life, Vlad was faced with a horrible decision. The last time, he'd lost Mirena when he'd said no. His wife for the life of his child.  
  
If he said no now, he had no doubt that the demon who'd created him would try to take Luka. Mina would never give up her child without a fight.  
  
The only choice he could see would be to surrender to his creator and become his pawn in whatever sick game he had envisioned.  
  
He'd been told the day in the cave that it would come to this.  
  
He just hadn't believed it.

 

* * *

 

  
  
"He was here," Mina said when he came into the house, tense and angry. She knew him too well, his wife did.  
  
Vlad nodded grimly. "He told me what he wants."  
  
"He wants Luka, doesn't he?"  
  
At her husband's surprised look, Mina scoffed. "I'm not an idiot, Vlad. You had that same look on your face the day you were going to hand Ingeras over to the Turks. I won't let it happen. Not then, and not now."  
  
"No," Vlad agreed. "He will not take our son. He wants him to ensure my cooperation, but I think he would . . . let you keep him and take me."  
  
Her blue eyes went wide. "No! He can't take you."  
  
"Mina, he threatened to _kill_ Luka if I don't. What choice do I have?"  
  
She scooped up the baby from his bassinette and cuddled him close, thinking furiously. Her child or her husband? What kind of a choice was that? No choice at all, as far as she was concerned!  
  
"I want you to turn me," Mina said.  
  
Vlad stared at her. He'd never expected her to actually ask for it. "Are you sure? Why?"  
  
"Because I want to protect Luka from this monster, and I want to be able to help you. I can't do either of those things if I'm just human."  
  
Vlad placed his hands on her shoulders. "I know I offered it when I asked you to marry me. But I need you to understand that it would be condemning you to a lifetime of shadows."  
  
"I know it would, but I'm prepared to do anything for you and our son."  
  
"I don't know what it will do to you," he warned. "You already have so much stress, with Mirena's memories and your own."  
  
"I don't care. He touches my baby, he dies."  
  
Picking up on his mother's anger, Luka began to cry. Vlad took him from her and rocked him. He couldn't let that monster touch this precious child. There was no way in Hell he would ever let that happen.  
  
"You'll have three days to decide," he told Mina. "After you drink my blood."  
  
"I know, I know. After the three days, I'll return to normal. _If_ I don't drink any blood in the meantime. We've been through this."  
  
He hadn't discussed it with _her_ , but he wasn't going to point that out. "If you're really determined to do this . . . We should find someone to take care of Luka in case . . . something goes wrong."  
  
"You mean, I lose my mind and try to eat my child?" Mina growled. "That will never happen."  
  
Vlad smoothed the black hair on his son's head. The baby's cries had dwindled to little mewling sounds. He clearly remembered holding Ingeras like this, when his son had been fussy and Mirena had been at her wit's end.  
  
"And who knows?" she continued. "Perhaps being a vampire will help me sort out everything in my head."  
  
He looked up from Luka to see her regarding him steadily, calmly, not at all panicked or scared. "Turn me," she said again.  
  
Vlad didn't want to, suddenly. He wanted to be with her forever, but not like _this_. "Be sure," he told her. "Be absolutely sure. You have to have iron control over the thirst, or . . ."  
  
"I know, Vlad."  
  
He walked over to Luka's basket and put the baby down. "Alright," he said. "I'll do it."  
  


* * *

 

  
He had Mina recline on the bed, where he said the change would be easiest. Then, his heart pounding, he bit into his wrist and held it to her lips.  
  
Mina hesitated for a few seconds, then pressed her mouth to the rapidly-closing wound. His blood was thick and dark, and tasted off, not like she'd expected. Mina had bit her tongue enough times to know what blood tasted like, and this was not it. She fought not to gag, forced herself to swallow. And again.  
  
Vlad pulled away after a few seconds, and eased her down on the bed. "This part is unpleasant, my love," he told her. "Just hang on."  
  
Mina gasped as whatever foul magic there was in his blood took hold of her, and her head began to swim. She felt as if she'd had too much to drink and might be sick. The next thing she knew, she'd seized up off the bed.  
  
He pushed her back down and held her there. She jerked and groaned, eyes rolling up into her head, and then she abruptly went still.  
  
And he waited.

 

* * *

 

  
  
Mina woke with a gasp, heaving upright. Vlad caught her with an arm around her shoulders.  
  
"Mina?" he asked.  
  
She blinked, still gasping, and looked at him in some confusion. After a moment, she said, "Vlad."  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
She tipped her head and stared at the ceiling, where he realised a spider was making its way across. Then she turned to stare out the window.  
  
Just when he thought she'd forgotten the question, she said, "I'm feeling . . . incredible."  
  
"Come run with me," he suggested.  
  
"I don't want to leave the baby alone."  
  
"Have Lucy watch him."  
  
Mina turned to look at their son, and she stared at him with a big smile on her face.  
  
"What?" Vlad asked.  
  
"I can hear his heart beating. Do you remember when you could, when he was still inside me? Now I can hear it. This is amazing."  
  
"It is," her husband agreed, "but it comes with a price. You need to stay with me until we know how good your control is."  
  
"I know."  
  
Mina got up off the bed, moving carefully. She felt like she could see and hear everything. It was a little confusing at first, but she quickly figured out how to filter out noises she didn't need.  
  
"Teach me to fly," she said to Vlad. "I want that most of all."  
  


* * *

 

  
Lucy was shocked and a little dismayed when Mina brought her the baby and she realised that Mina had been changed, even if temporarily. That turned into anger when Mina told her that they'd been visited by the master and what he'd demanded of them.  
  
"Over my dead body!" Lucy snarled. "He lays a finger on Luka and I'll rip it off."  
  
"That's why I'm changed. He's given us three days. And I have three days. He comes for my child, he won't get him without a very big, very nasty fight."  
  
"Damn right," Lucy muttered. "Go, learn your new abilities. I'll keep an eye on the little one."  
  
With the threat to her son so explicitly stated, Mina was reluctant to let him out of her sight, even if it was with Lucy. but she needed to learn control, and Vlad was waiting.  
  
She joined him outside in the courtyard, nearly bouncing with excitement, barely noticing the cold. The night was more alive than she'd ever realised.  
  
"There's a rat problem in the east vineyard," she told Vlad, watching the tiny creatures scurry around, chewing at the empty, dormant vines.  
  
"What?" Vlad turned to look, and swore. "I'll deal with that later. You wanted to fly? Let's fly."  
  



	10. Chapter 10

**\--Chapter Ten--**  
  
After a night spent soaring with Vlad, and running with him through the forests, Mina was exhausted but exhilarated.  
  
She was less thrilled when she realised that she couldn't feed Luka 'til the three days were up, and she had to resort to bottled milk. Luka wasn't fond of the bottle, either. Vlad obviously thought of something crude to say, but refrained. Still, he smirked when their son initially pushed the bottle away.  
  
"I want my ring," Mina said suddenly, as they were getting reading for bed near dawn.  
  
Vlad's brows drew together. "Pardon?"  
  
"My ring. I know you've got it in the pouch around your neck. I want it. I may not be able to wear it, but I want it."  
  
Slowly, Vlad opened the tiny leather pouch and drew out the two rings, one nestled inside the other: his wedding ring to Mirena, and the one his first wife had worn. They matched, hers a dantier version of his. They were silver, and they burned his skin. He was loathe to burn Mina, but when she held out her hand for Mirena's ring, he had no choice.  
  
He placed the ring in her palm, where it sizzled. She hissed a little, but didn't drop it.  
  
"I remember when you gave this to me," she said softly. "So long ago. I never took it off."  
  
He wondered if she knew she was speaking of Mirena as herself, but he didn't want to correct her. It didn't really matter; if she was Mirena reincarnated, they were one and the same.  
  
"I considered burying . . . her . . . with it, but I needed it," he told her.  
  
Mina looked up from the silver and garnet ring. "I'm glad you kept it. I need a pouch like yours. I want to wear this any way I can."  
  
He caught her left hand, where she wore the gold ring he'd given her. "Mina."  
  
"I mean it, Vlad. I . . . don't feel separate from her anymore. Whatever this did to me, I don't feel like we're two people, and my head doesn't feel like a tangle anymore."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really. For the first time in months, everything is so clear. And the memories don't feel alien like they did. They just feel like . . . mine."  
  
She put the ring down and blew on her fingers, even though they were already healing. "That is _so_ useful," she said. Then she tipped her head and looked at him from under her lashes. "Hmm."  
  
"What?"  
  
Mina pulled up her pant leg and looked at her leg. Then she grinned. "My scars are gone, too! I had one on my knee from when I tripped and fell when I was fifteen. Skinned it almost to the bone. But it's gone."  
  
"I'll bet your appendix scar is gone, too."  
  
"If my scars are gone, I wonder what else has healed?" She bit her lip. "I mean, it hasn't been six weeks yet, but . . ."  
  
His dark green eyes lit with interest. "You think . . .?"  
  
"Why don't we find out?"  
  


* * *

 

  
The time since Luka's birth had been the longest they'd gone without making love since they'd met. Mina had been subconsciously fearful, after the relative trauma of the birth, that it would hurt the next time. But now she was certain that it wouldn't.  
  
She and Vlad undressed as fast as they could without ripping clothes--which wasn't easy, given their mutual vampire power. He flung her on the bed and she gasped in delight at the show of strength.  
  
"Let's not break the bed," she laughed.  
  
"Why do you think it's wrought iron?" he asked.  
  
He slithered down her body and spread her legs, diving in to lick her. Biting her lip, Mina rocked her hips in time to the strokes of his tongue over her clit.  
  
"Vlad," she cried, "I'm gonna come. Please-"  
  
"Not yet," he growled. He gave her a last lick and moved to kneel between her legs. He was hard and eager. Mina reached for him, gasping at his heat.  
  
"Everything's so much _more_ this way," she told him breathlessly.  
  
He rubbed himself against her, teasing, before he slowly slid into her tight sheath. "I think," he said, with a small groan, "you're tighter than before."  
  
"That wouldn't surprise me. At least my hymen didn't grow back," she quipped.  
  
Vlad let his head drop forward as he laughed. "Oh, that would be terrible."  
  
Mina wrapped her legs tight around his hips. "Harder," she gasped. Her hands found the headboard and she gripped the iron.  
  
"Can't if you're holding me that tight," he pointed out.  
  
She unwound her legs and drew them up as far as she could, tipping her hips to give him the access he needed. Vlad grabbed a pillow and shoved it under her, driving into her faster.  
  
She groaned and panted, completely at his mercy and enjoying every second of it. "Mmm. Oh! Right there, Vlad. Don't stop."  
  
Grinning, he pistoned his hips harder, hitting the spot she wanted with every stroke. Mina tipped her head back, eyes closed, and moaned.  
  
When Vlad leaned down to suck at the side of her neck, Mina found his throat perilously close to her mouth, and she was suddenly aware of his pulse just inches from her teeth. Her fangs descended, and she gasped.  
  
"Vlad," she said tremulously.  
  
He lifted his head, saw immediately what her problem was. "It's alright, _dragă_. Focus on me. Focus on this."  
  
Realising that sex was a dangerous thing with her control so fragile, Vlad reached down between them and rubbed her clit furiously. Thirst suddenly forgotten, Mina arched beneath him.  
  
The climax stole her breath and she squeezed the iron of the headboard hard enough that the metal groaned. When she collapsed, her fangs had withdrawn.  
  
It wasn't but a few more thrusts before he found his own release. He gathered Mina into his arms, holding her close.  
  
"Would biting you make me like this forever?" she asked.  
  
"I don't think so. You've already had my blood, remember? But better safe than sorry."  
  
"Mm." She ran her hand over his arm, where it wrapped around her waist. "That scare aside, that was good. I like that you didn't hold back. You do that a lot with me, don't you?"  
  
"I have to, or I'll hurt you."  
  
She rolled over in his arms and placed her hand on his chest. "That just makes me appreciate you even more. Your willpower is incredible. Knowing this thirst now, knowing how you held out until I made you drink."  
  
Vlad threaded his hand through her pale blonde hair. "I'll help you through this. You won't need to struggle alone."  
  
"I know I won't. Together always, right?"  
  
"Always."  
  


* * *

 

  
Mina woke with sharp pains in her stomach and a seemingly parched throat, and she realised then just what Vlad had meant by "the thirst", and why Lucy had been so out of her mind as to attack her.  
  
She drank three glasses of water before she admitted that nothing was going to sate her but blood, and if she gave in to that, she would be stuck a vampire forever. She wasn't ready for that just yet.  
  
"Bloody awful, isn't it?" Lucy asked, when Mina put her glass in the sink with a look of disgust. "Always thirsty, always wanting blood."  
  
Mina pulled a face and sighed. "Two more days. I can do this."  
  
"If anyone can, it'll be you," Lucy agreed. "I-"  
  
She stopped.  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's a strange light outside."  
  
Mina went to the window. When she saw what the light was, she flew up the stairs to the bedroom, where Vlad was getting dressed after his shower.  
  
"The orchard is on fire!" Mina exclaimed.  
  
Vlad dashed out to the veranda that ran the length of the upper floor. "I need to put it out before it spreads to the vines," he said urgently.  
  
He raised his hands to the sky, calling in clouds. Lightning crashed overhead as thunderclouds gathered.  
  
Suddenly, there was a "thwack!" and Vlad gasped, dropping his arms. He stumbled back. Mina reached for him, and saw that a crossbow bolt stuck out of his shoulder. It had missed his heart by inches.  
  
Using her new vampire senses, Mina looked out into the night and found a beating heart, human height. She yanked the bolt out of Vlad's chest then, snarling, launched herself in a flurry of bats off the balcony.  
  
She slammed into the human and knocked him flat, completely unsurprised to find that it was Abraham Van Helsing.  
  
"You-" he gasped. "You are vampire!"  
  
"You're very observant," Mina growled. She bared her fangs.  
  
"Mina, no!" Vlad shouted, as he, too, landed nearby.  
  
"Right," she sighed. To Van Helsing, she said, "I did say that if you even thought of hurting Vlad, I'd kill you."  
  
"Please, Ms. Mina-"  
  
She grabbed his head in both hands. "My name," she hissed, "is Mirena Drăculești."  
  
She gave a hard twist and snapped his neck. Then she let his limp body flop to the ground. Vlad helped her stand.  
  
"Mirena?" he repeated.  
  
"Well, it's partially true. And it seemed fitting." She looked to the burning orchard. "You put the fire out. I'm going to check on Luka. He's crying."  
  
Vlad watched her fly back to the house, bemused. Deciding to think on it later, he returned his attention to putting out the fire.  
  


* * *

 

  
Once Mina had Luka settled, she went back out to see how Vlad fared with the fire. He'd made it rain, and the trees were smoking, but there were no open fires.  
  
"We need to get rid of Van Helsing," she said, nudging the body with a foot. She was more disturbed by her lack of remorse than she was at having killed the man.  
  
"Leave that to me."  
  
"Drive him up the mountains," she suggested. "Dump him off a cliff near the Borgo Pass. They'll never find him there."  
  
"And his car? He left one about a quarter mile up the road."  
  
"It, too. Hopefully it'll explode."  
  
"You've turned bloodythirsty," he observed.  
  
She flashed fangs at him. "Duh."  
  
Lucy came out to have a look at the ruins of the orchard. "Mind telling me what just happened?"  
  
"Van Helsing set the orchard on fire to draw us out. Or, specifically, Vlad." Mina shoved the body with her foot. "I took care of him."  
  
"He shot me," Vlad put in.  
  
Lucy looked at the corpse. "Huh. I wonder how he found you?"  
  
"I have a very good idea of how he found us," Vlad said darkly.  
  
It only took Lucy a moment before she figured out his line of thought. "Arthur," she hissed.  
  
"I never told Van Helsing my assumed name," Vlad said, "and your husband is the only one who _does_ know where the vineyard is."  
  
"I should have asked before I killed him," Mina said with some remorse. "Oh, well."  
  
"You two should go inside. I'll take care of Van Helsing."  
  
"Be careful. We don't know that he didn't have someone with him."  
  
Vlad nodded. Then he picked up the body and slung it over his shoulder.  
  
"I need a drink," Lucy said. "You have any vodka?"  
  
"No idea, but we can check."  
  


* * *

 

  
While Vlad was gone, Mina locked the windows and doors against intruders.  
  
"It's so strange," she told Lucy, "that first I was wary of vampires getting in. Now it's humans I'm worried about."  
  
Lucy shook her head and leaned back in the armchair she'd taken over in the library. "I almost can't believe Arthur could betray us. I know we're assuming it was him, but . . . he turned on me so suddenly and completely. It's like . . . it was okay as long as it was _your_ spouse who was the vampire. But as soon as it got _personal_ for him, it was too much."  
  
"Unfortunately, a lot of people do that with relatively mundane things, like sexuality. 'Oh, my cousin's gay, I'm cool with it. Oh, my son is gay? Out of the house, freak!'" Mina shook her head. "I can almost see his justification. Lady Godalming can't be a bloody vampire, can she? What would the _ton_ think?"  
  
"I don't think they've used 'ton' in about a century," Lucy observed.  
  
Mina laughed. "You're a vampire and we were attacked by a vampire hunter tonight, and you're arguing about my use of 'ton'?"  
  
"Got to keep something normal."  
  
"True." Mina curled her legs under her on the sofa and leaned her head on the back. "He honestly didn't expect me to be a vampire. Van Helsing, I mean. He was completely surprised and horrified."  
  
"Good. I still want to punch him for messing with your head the way he did."  
  
"I got my own back," Mina pointed out. "He'll not be messing with anyone else's head. Or staking anymore vampires."  
  
It bothered her that they had been so easily attacked. And with the three of them vulnerable during the day, it was just lucky that he'd attacked at night, when they could go out and fight the fire.  
  
"What are you thinking about so hard?" Lucy asked.  
  
"We need daytime security. I'll be back to human in a few days--hopefully, if something doesn't go horribly wrong--but I'm not enough to hold off anyone determined to get to you or Vlad. And if Arthur _was_ the one who pointed Van Helsing this way . . . He might try again."  
  
"Doesn't Vlad have a personal assistant?"  
  
"Yes. Renfield. Ah . . . Can't remember his first name. He's a little crazy, very devoted to Vlad's service. Treats me like a queen, which is a little unsettling. I may have been one in my past life, but I'm not _now_."  
  
"Can you point him my way? I'd love to get the royal treatment."  
  
Mina laughed. "That reminds me. I was thinking, when you go back to London eventually, you'll need someone to look after you during the day. Vlad and I were thinking you might hire Iulia."  
  
"The pretty brunette teenager that stares at Vlad like he's God?" Lucy asked dryly. "I can't think of _why_ you'd want her elsewhere."  
  
"She's a good girl, she's just got a very big crush on Vlad and it makes things awkward. She's been raised knowing exactly what he is and knowing that she'll take over for her mother when Sveta's too old to be Vlad's housekeeper, so I think she had fantasies that she'd have a more, ah, _active_ role later."  
  
Lucy let out a huge guffaw and nearly dropped her wine glass. "Anyone with eyes can tell Vlad only has them for you."  
  
"Which is why she glares at me all the time. She's eighteen. I think she'd love the chance to go to London and . . . Well, Târgoviște is a fairly small town, really."  
  
"Tell me about it," Lucy muttered. "Nothing is open past, what, six in the evening? Vlad and I had to go hunting in Bucharest."  
  
"That's generally safer, anyway," Mina put in. "Hunt away from where you live. Lessens suspicion."  
  
"Let me ask you this: Why would Iulia _want_ to be my assistant, if she's so devoted to Vlad?"  
  
"Family honour, for one. It's big with them. For another, I think she'd do anything he asked her to."  
  
Lucy snickered. "Ah, young love. Sure. If you think she'll go for it, I could use someone. Especially since I still need to go through Mum's stuff. How's her English?"  
  
"Better than my Romanian."  
  
"That's not saying much."  
  
"Hey!"


	11. Chapter 11

**\--Chapter Eleven--**  
  
Vlad returned a few hours later.  
  
"It's done," he told Mina. "Put him in the car, shoved both off a very high cliff road."  
  
Mina looked up from the book she was reading. "I feel like I should feel bad that I killed him, but I don't feel anything. Guilty, joy, nothing. He's just dead."  
  
"That's how I felt when-" Vlad stopped himself. He gave himself a shake and said, "When I had to . . . put villages to the stake. I knew that doing it to one village would make others not fight the Turks, would let them live. And I felt nothing doing it. Does that make me a monster, Mina?"  
  
She put the book aside and went to him. "That's a difficult question. Part of me . . . thinks of those poor people and knows they suffered. But I know you, Vlad. If you were doing it for enjoyment, _that_ would make you a monster. You did what you had to do. Sometimes we have to do terrible things to protect others."  
  
"Whole villages, Mina," he whispered.  
  
"You _do_ feel bad about it," she responded in kind. "As much as you insist you don't . . . If you truly felt nothing about it, you would have told me before. But you didn't. I didn't know how many people you had to kill until I read a history book. You're not proud of it. You're not boasting about the things you had to do. That would make you a monster."  
  
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "And the _how_ of it?"  
  
"That was a little . . . over the top and cruel," she admitted reluctantly. "And I would prefer not to think of it. I know you're capable of horrific things. But I can't reconcile that with the man I love. I've seen you fight. I've seen you do it to defend our family. _That_ is the man I know. Whatever you did while you were with the Turks, that's not who you are now."  
  
"No," he agreed. "But it's there inside me, Mina. There's a monster inside me. If I didn't have you, if I hadn't had the _hope_ of you . . ."  
  
"Vlad, listen to me. You are a good man who's had to make difficult choices. What would the Turks have done to you if you hadn't done the things you did?"  
  
"Killed me," he answered immediately.  
  
"So to save yourself, and to prevent even more slaughter, you did some bad things. You did them hundreds of years ago, too. I think you can forgive yourself now."  
  
Vlad kissed her forehead, tangling his fingers in her hair. "God, I love you, Mina. You make me feel worth something."  
  
"You're worth _everything_ to me." She rested her head against his chest, hearing his heart beat under her ear. "I do wonder, though, why you can talk to me about this things, when you couldn't when I was Mirena."  
  
He ran his hands up and down her spine in long, slow caresses. "I think . . . You're not as innocent now. I always felt you were to be protected from the worst aspects of life. But this world . . . There's war every day, and it's everywhere and so visible. Back then, war was a distant thing until the Turks came and attacked us. I still feel I need to protect and cherish you, and I always will, but . . ."  
  
"I'm not the sheltered girl I used to be?"  
  
"No. You're not."  
  
"You could have talked to me about it then. I wouldn't have fainted or anything silly. Did I when you announced you were a vampire?"  
  
". . . No."  
  
She lifted her head to look up at him. "I knew you'd done things. There was a reason they called you Lord Impaler. I wasn't as sheltered as you'd like to have believed. Do you know how many people tried to talk me out of letting you court me? Out of marrying you? I knew what I was getting into, and do you know why I did?"  
  
"I've always wondered."  
  
"Because I _love_ you. Part of me has loved you since the moment we met, this time or the last. You're my other half, Vlad. In this or any other life. And if _anyone_ tries again to take away what we have . . ."  
  
Vlad chuckled. "They'll face us together."  
  
"Damn right, they will."

 

* * *

 

  
  
When the master arrived the evening of Mina's last night as a vampire, he found Vlad in the middle of ripping up dead apple trees.  
  
"Did you have a fire?" the master vampire inquired politely.  
  
"We did," Vlad replied shortly. He tossed aside the tree he'd just uprooted. "I suppose you're here for your answer."  
  
"I am. What have you decided, Lord Impaler? Oh, forgive me. You go by Dracula these days."  
  
Vlad shrugged. "I told my wife what you wanted. She was less than pleased with the idea."  
  
"Mmm. And did you tell her that it was best for everyone involved?"  
  
"I told her _you_ thought so."  
  
"And her response?" The master vampire looked amused.  
  
Out of the darkness, something slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Mina pinned him down, claws digging into his neck.  
  
"I said no," she said.  
  
To their surprise, he laughed.  
  
"This," he said, choking past Mina's grip on his throat, "is even more delightful than I imagined. Look what you've done!"  
  
"Vlad, give me one of the tree branches."  
  
The master grinned. "Oh dear, no. That won't do. Stakes won't kill me. Why do you think I was so delighted to turn Vlad the _Impaler_? When the devil turned me, he really meant it. I can only die once I've had my revenge on the demon that turned me."  
  
Mina's claws drew blood. "I'll bet if I take your head, it'll stop you."  
  
"You may try," he replied lazily, and he threw her off.  
  
She flew some twenty feet and slammed into a dead tree, breaking it off into a stump.  
  
"Mina!" Vlad cried.  
  
The master stood. He brushed dirt and ash off his suit, and grinned at Vlad. "I told you that you'd have a _taste_ of my power. Not power equal to it. This is much, much more amusing than I'd planned. I think I'll leave the two of you to stew in your own folly for a while. After all, I have nothing but time."  
  
He was gone in a blink. Vlad ran to Mina, where she was just getting to her feet.  
  
"That . . . didn't go well," she told her husband.  
  
"It went better than I'd expected," he admitted. "He didn't kill us. Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine. I think I'm ready to return to normal, though." She looked around, saw no sign of the master. "Is he gone?"  
  
"For now." Vlad was grim as he wrapped his arms around her. "We only succeeded in amusing him."  
  
She sighed and rested her head against his chest. "Amused is better than homicidal," she decided. "I should have ripped his head off."  
  
Vlad snorted. "I don't think you could have, but I appreciate the sentiment. Go check on Luka. I'll continue here."  
  
Mina nodded and sprinted towards the house. She found Luka still in his basket, sound asleep by the side of her bed. Needing to hold him, Mina picked him up, which made him squawk in protest. When he realised it was her, he settled back down into sleep.  
  
Vlad came in not long after, found her pacing with the baby in her arms. "Ten leu for your thoughts."  
  
"I hate waiting for him to show up and do one more thing to screw up our lives. He killed Eleanor, he turned Lucy. He wants you and our son for God knows what. We've managed to put him off for a while, but for how long? What will he want or do next? And how, for the love of God, do we _stop_ him?"  
  
"I don't know, Mina. I do feel . . . somewhat obligated to him because without him, Ingeras would have been raised by the Turks, and everyone in Transylvania would have been killed. Likely everyone in Romania. He gave me the power to stop them. But what he's doing, playing with us like this? I don't know how to fight him."  
  
Mina kissed the top of Luka's head. "I feel like the Rebellion in 'Star Wars', trying to fight the Emperor."  
  
"Or the Fellowship against Sauron, only we don't have the One Ring," Vlad put in, and Mina had to smile.  
  
"I forget sometimes that you're pretty up on pop culture," she told him.  
  
Vlad caught Luka's little hand and gently rubbed his thumb over the back of it. "He has to have a weakness other than . . . whatever it is he wants from the demon that tricked him. How the hell does he think I'm going to be able to help him get revenge on a _demon_?"  
  
"You did say he's insane. I mean, first of all, who makes a deal with a demon?" Mina asked. "I understand _your_ reasons, but not his. And secondly, living by yourself in a cave for centuries has got to do a number on your sanity."  
  
"I also didn't make a deal with a demon. I made one with a vampire. There is a vast difference." Vlad shook his head.   
  
Mina put the baby in his basket, having calmed herself and him. "We need more information on him."  
  
"The only information I knew of was at Cozia Monastery," he told her. "Lucien had it at the castle and moved it to the monastery when we evacuated. What happened to it after that, I have no idea."  
  
She sighed. "I suppose it's too much to hope for that some of the texts have survived this long, anyway. It's been five and a half centuries."  
  
"And the books he had then were ancient," Vlad added. "They'd be dust now."  
  
Mina gestured for him to follow her to the bedroom she'd taken as her office. She sat at her desk and pulled out a notebook, pen poised over the lined surface. "Tell me everything you know about him."  
  
Vlad did; he detailed everything Lucien had told him, about Roman mystics prophesying his coming, that he was said to have made a deal with a devil and been tricked. Mina scribbled it all down.  
  
Then she asked, "How do we know all this if he killed everyone who went into the cave?"  
  
Her husband blinked at her. "What?"  
  
"I mean, besides his own words, telling you that he'd use you for revenge on the demon, how do we know how this bloke was created?"  
  
". . . I don't know. Prophecy?"  
  
"That's awfully convenient."  
  
He waved it away. "I don't know and I don't particularly care."  
  
"But if he _told_ someone, and they wrote it down . . . You know, monks liked to copy other books. It's entirely possible that the ones Lucien had on the vampire weren't the only copies, especially if Roman mystics said this guy was coming. _They_ would have written that down, and I'm sure there were translations."  
  
"Where would we find that kind of thing?"  
  
"Depends on who made the original prophecy, and when. Which Romans are we talking about? _The_ Romans, as in Caesar? Or just some mystics who happened to live in Rome?"  
  
Vlad pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm assuming _the_ Romans. Which makes me wonder exactly how old our enemy is. He was dressed like something out of the Dark Ages, with one of those hats with the long ear flaps, but that could be something he took from one of his victims."  
  
"I'd imagine he had to periodically do that, or he'd have been _naked_ and crazy in a cave."  
  
Her husband narrowed green eyes at her.  
  
"I have to find humour somewhere, or I'll lose it." Mina flipped the notebook shut. "So I think our first option would be to go to Cozia and see if we can find any old manuscripts. If the monastery is still there."  
  
"It is. They buried you there."  
  
Mina wrinkled her nose. "That isn't creepy or anything. Anyway, I think we should go there, poke around. After that, consult some local priests, see if they've any idea what we're dealing with."  
  
"Lucy will want in."  
  
The door swung open and Lucy stuck her head in. "Sorry, I heard my name as I was passing. I'll want in on what, exactly?"  
  
"We're going hunting for old documents on the master," Mina told her. "It's the best starting place we can figure for finding a weakness for him."  
  
"Hell, yes, I want in," Lucy exclaimed. "You're not leaving me out of finding a way to take this bastard down. I notice you left me out of the little visit you had with him tonight."  
  
"It happened very quickly and then he was gone," Vlad told her. "I was about to call you when he vanished."  
  
"He literally vanished," Mina said with a nod. "Threw me into a tree and then _poof_!"  
  
Lucy frowned, brown eyes narrowing. "What do you need from me?"  
  
Mina turned to Vlad. "I'm assuming you've been to Cozia recently. How bad are the ruins?"  
  
"The chapel and crypt are in the worst shape. One of the towers is still collapsing. Some of the walls have come down, but for the most part, anything that _can_ fall already has."  
  
She nodded. "So we need good hiking boots, packs, hard hats maybe. Torches for poking around in dark corners."  
  
"Are we taking Luka with us?" Lucy asked.  
  
Mina bit her lip and considered. "I'm reluctant to leave him behind, but to drag him up into the mountains at this time of year? That would be monumentally stupid."  
  
Her friend said, "You could leave him with me. I don't know the area like the two of you do. I mean, I'm assuming you do, Mina, if you've got Mirena's memories. I'd be useless."  
  
"I don't want to leave him, but if I leave him with anyone, I trust you the most next to Vlad," Mina reasoned, "and leaving _me_ behind doesn't make much sense. I've been there before."  
  
"And I want you protected," Vlad put in. "Leaving you behind while Lucy and I go would do precisely the opposite."  
  
Lucy nodded. "I have an idea. What towns are near there? We could rent rooms at a hotel, and I could stay behind with the baby while you two, ah, go hiking."  
  
"Hiking in the Carpathian mountains is potentially suicide in December," Vlad mused. "If I didn't need Mina's memories of the monastery to assist me, I wouldn't take _her_."  
  
"I trust you to keep me safe," his wife told him.  
  
"I know you do. It's myself I don't trust."   
  
"I'm not thrilled to be going back, myself, but we have to."  
  
Lucy looked between them, red ponytail bobbing. "What, exactly, is this monastery?"  
  
Mina let out a long, slow sigh. Then she said, "It's where I died."  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The real Cozia Monastery isn't in ruins, and it's not far from Targoviste. But this is fiction. Meh.


	12. Chapter 12

**\--Chapter Twelve--**  
  
A snowstorm blew in that night, delaying their plans. Vlad decided that preparation would be better, anyway. Mina's vampire powers went with the dawn, and while she tried to sleep, she found herself restless and unable to fully settle. Though she was back to mortal now, being a vampire had fundamentally changed something within her.  
  
With the day overcast and dark, snow falling from the sky, Vlad drove in to Bucharest and purchased maps of the Carpathians, including elevation ones. He could just fly in himself, but if he was taking Mina in, he wanted to be as ready as possible.  
  
He spread the map out on the table in the dining room, and marked their destination with a red X.  
  
Mina spent the rest of the day staring at the X every time she went by, unnerved by the knowledge that the X marked the place where she had, once upon a time, died.  
  
She had the memory of falling, of knowing Vlad wasn't going to reach her in time to catch her. She had a vague memory of telling him to drink her blood. She had no memory of the between, of hitting the ground, or of Mirena's actual passing. Mina wondered, with her own childhood memories not as fresh to her as Mirena's, how it would affect her in the long run.  
  
She hadn't lied when she said that Mirena's memories felt truly like her own now. Mina no longer felt like two separate people, and acknowledging Mirena didn't bring a seething jealousy to her heart as it had. She could accept her past life, and look on it as just part of her, instead of viewing Mirena as competition, as the ex-wife.  
  
"How, exactly, did you, er, did this Mirena die?" Lucy asked, finding Mina staring at the map.  
  
"You can refer to her as me. I'm her, she became me. It's all the same."  
  
". . . Okay. So how did you die?"  
  
Mina tapped the X. "In 1464, just after Easter- OKay, let me start over. You know Vlad was held by the Turks from the age of ten to, oh, the age of twenty-one, roughly?"  
  
Lucy nodded.  
  
"When Vlad's father, Vlad the Second, died, his cousin Vladislav the Second took the throne. Vlad was in Turkey at the time, and because someone else had the throne, that made Vlad the pretender, like Charles Stuart. When he left Turkey, he had to fight to get the throne back. Anyway, Vlad got it in late 1452. He and my past self, Mirena, were married early in 1453, and she immediately got pregnant and had Ingeras."  
  
"Right. And you told me you think they couldn't have more 'cause of that Rh thing."  
  
"Exactly. When Ingeras was ten, just after Easter, some scouts of Hamza Bey, one of Sultan Mehmed the Second's generals-"  
  
Lucy interjected, "That's a lot of So-and-So the Seconds. Vlad the Second, Vladis-whatever the Second, Mewmew the Second . . ."  
  
Mina laughed. Lucy grinned at her "Thor" reference.  
  
"Some scouts went missing in Vlad's lands. Mehmed thought Vlad killed them, but the master had actually eaten them. He also demanded a thousand Transylvanian boys for his Janissary Corps. He used non-Turks, young ones, as a disposable army. Vlad tried to negotiate, and all that did was piss Mehmed off. He demanded Ingeras in addition to the thousand."  
  
"I'll bet Vlad took that well," Lucy said sardonically.  
  
"He was actually going to do it, until . . . I don't know. I screamed at him a lot, I know that. Ingeras insisted that he go, Vlad *almost* turned him over, and . . . for some reason, Vlad decided to kill the Turks instead. Then he . . . went and made his deal with the master while everyone else went back to the castle."  
  
Mina pointed to where Castle Dracula had once been. "It was here, but it's not there now. I don't know who tore it down in the end, but it's rubble these days. In retaliation for Vlad killing Hamza Bey and his small regiment, Mehmed send a thousand Turks to attack the castle. They did a fair amount of damage before Vlad wiped them out single-handedly.  
  
"Then we evacuated the castle and went to Cozia Monastery. The Turks followed. While Vlad was fighting them, I . . ." Mina sighed. "Some Turks infiltrated the monastery, and attacked us. Ingeras and I were up in the tower, looking for Vlad. They grabbed Ingeras. One of them punched me in the stomach, then kicked me off the tower. I managed to grab a broken marble tile, but I wasn't able to hold on very long. Vlad _tried_ to catch me, but . . ."  
  
Lucy shuddered. "And you remember this?!" she exclaimed.  
  
Mina nodded. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "He caught me just before I hit the ground, but couldn't stop our momentum. I don't remember that. Vlad's told me about it. But it didn't kill me instantly, which a fall of over two hundred feet should have done. I asked him to drink my blood, because his three days were up. Then . . ." She shrugged. "I died. I don't remember that, either. Vlad carried me back up to the monastery, where I'm apparently buried."  
  
". . . That is the weirdest thing I have ever heard you say in my life, and that includes 'My husband is a vampire'."  
  
With a wry smile, Mina pushed away from the table. "It's just as weird to say, believe me."  
  
"So that's where you're going?" Lucy shook her head. "You wouldn't be able to get me to go there if I'd _died_ there."  
  
"You technically died in your mum's house, yet you've been back."  
  
Lucy opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. "I suppose you're right."  
  
"How bad of a hike is it to this monastery?" Lucy asked, going back to the original subject.  
  
"It's high on the side of a mountain, which I think is a ridiculous place to put it. One of Vlad's ancestors had the place built, and they're all men of war, so I suppose it made sense to them. It's high enough up that cannon fire can't get to it."  
  
"Makes sense as a refuge, I guess. I don't suppose there's a path to it."  
  
"There is, but it's pretty out of the way. I'm guessing we're going to drive as far as we can, then go the rest of the way on foot." Mina grimaced. "I've never been much for hiking."  
  
"Or camping, or anything outdoors. Hey, you really _were_ a princess in a past life!"  
  
"Oh, shush."  
  
Mina consulted the list of things that at least _she_ would need. Vlad wasn't as vulnerable to the cold as she was, and it would be much colder up in the mountains than down here.  
  
"Where is Vlad?" Lucy asked.  
  
"Checking the vines. We've got tarps over them to keep them from getting snow on them. I think it's stupid to have a vineyard where it snows, but apparently, Romania's number nine in the world for wine exports."  
  
"Huh. I didn't know that."  
  
"The things you learn when married to a hobbyist vinter."  
  
"Does he count as a hobbyist?"  
  
Mina shrugged. "Renfield pretty much runs everything for him, so yeah, I'd think so. It's not his passion."  
  
"What *is* his passion?"  
  
Mina quirked a smile. "Once, ruling a principality. These days? Me and Luka."  
  
Lucy grinned. "That's so cute, it's sickening."  
  
"Every vampire needs a hobby. At least Vlad's isn't impaling people. . . . Anymore."  
  
"Do you have any idea how disturbing it is to hear you casually reference him killing people in horrific ways?"  
  
Again, Mina shrugged. "It's either laugh or cry. I've had enough to cry about."  
  
They sat in silence for a while. Then Lucy said, "Well, I'm going to go have dinner. Probably in Bucharest."  
  
"I'd wish you a good time, but, ah . . ."  
  
"Yeah."  
  


* * *

  
  
Vlad came in from checking the vines not long after Lucy left.  
  
"I have an investor coming by later this evening," he told Mina as she was fixing her own dinner. She had Luka in a sling across her chest, the baby kept warm and snug just where he was happiest.  
  
"Why so late?" Mina asked. "Was that for your convenience or theirs?"  
  
"A bit of both, I suppose. He said he had an early dinner meeting tonight, and asked if he could stop by after. I told him that would be fine."  
  
"I feel a little odd, you taking meetings here at the house. This feels like our private space."  
  
Vlad nodded. He poured her a glass of apple juice, made from the now-destroyed orchard, and handed it to her. Then he poured himself a glass of wine.  
  
"I need a space over at the winery," he admitted, "but I haven't had enough interest to do so."  
  
"What are we going to do with the vineyard when you need to, ah, reinvent yourself?"  
  
He shrugged. "I might pass it to Luka, if he's interested. I might sell. We would need a new home then."  
  
"I'm rather attached to this one," his wife said.  
  
"I know. Which is why I'm trying to plan for later."  
  
Mina was just setting her meal on the table when the bell rang. Vlad went to answer it. She heard low, masculine voices, and Vlad offering the man a drink. Next thing she knew, they were in the kitchen, and Vlad was pouring their visitor a glass of the wine he'd just opened.  
  
"Please excuse us for the informality of the meeting. My wife and I were just discussing your visit, and since I have this bottle already open . . ."  
  
"Oh, that's more than alright. I know I'm probably intruding at this hour."  
  
Mina studied the man as he accepted a glass of red wine from her husband. He was tall, about the same height or just a little shorter than Vlad, maybe half an inch, with sandy brown hair and dark green eyes. He wore the hair longer, though not as long as Vlad's, and it fell across his forehead, nearly in his eyes. He was dressed casually, in a black tee, jeans, and a brown leather jacket.  
  
Something pricked at her memory, and she thought he looked familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen him.  
  
"This is my wife, Mina, and our son, Luka. Mina, this is Niko Popescu."  
  
Niko smiled at her, his gaze lingering on her face. Then he looked away, and in his profile, Mina thought she saw something she knew.  
  
I'm going crazy, she thought. If he's rich enough to invest in Vlad's winery, he's probably someone fairly famous that I've seen in a magazine or something. Except his name was very generic, virtually the Romanian equivalent of "John Smith".  
  
She looked from Niko to Vlad, then did a double-take and dropped her fork as realisation hit her.  
  
Niko swore under his breath.  
  
"I know you," she said, and stood. "I _know_ you. I saw you in London. You were following me!"  
  
Niko held up his hands. "I can explain-"  
  
"You had _better_ explain yourself, Ingeras Nikolai Dracula!"


	13. Chapter 13

**\--Chapter Thirteen--**  
  
Vlad looked rapidly between the man and his wife. "What?" he blurted.  
  
"Niko" straightened a little and set his wine glass on the table. "Salut, Papa," he said. "I'm not surprised she recognised me first. A mother always knows her child."  
  
He turned to her and added, "Though I'd like to know how you're alive. I clearly saw you fall from the tower."  
  
Vlad finally caught up with what was happening. "Ingeras? _How_?"  
  
His son, his adult son, smiled and showed off a nice, shiny set of fangs. "I was wounded on the battlefield. It was night, and I was dying. A man came to me and asked if I'd like salvation and to see you again. I said yes, thinking he was offering last rites. I had my sacrament, but it was his blood he made me drink."  
  
Mina stretched a hand out to him, then let it fall. Her face was ashen.  
  
"He told me that he'd take me to you. Then he told me that vampire hunters had killed you, and I was his."  
  
Mina and Vlad exchanged looks. Vlad described the master, and Ingeras nodded.  
  
"That's why Vlad couldn't find you when he went looking," Mina said in wonder. "He'd turned you."  
  
Ingeras nodded. "For five hundred years, I've . . . tagged along with him, thinking you dead. Until I saw you in London, Mama. I had to know if it was you, and I saw you with Papa and knew that he'd lied to me, that neither of you were dead."  
  
Mina rubbed the side of her nose. "Ahh . . . Well. He _did_ lie to you. Vlad wasn't killed by vampire hunters. But, um . . . This is the confusing part. I _am_ your mother, but I'm _not_ your mother."  
  
Ingeras frowned. "Pardon?"  
  
"My name is Mina Murray. I was born in London in 1985."  
  
"But . . . you look just like . . ."  
  
"That's because I _am_ Mirena," she said. "I told you it was confusing. I'm the reincarnation of Mirena, Ingeras. So I didn't give birth to you, but for all intents and purposes, I am Mirena Drăculești."  
  
"That's . . . impossible."  
  
"Any more impossible than vampires?" Vlad asked him.  
  
Ingeras put his fingers to his temples and squeezed his eyes shut. "What is going on?"  
  
"Vlad's a vampire, you're a vampire, I'm apparently Schrödinger's mother, and this is your brother."  
  
Ingeras opened his eyes, the same colour as Vlad's, and focused on the baby. "Brother?"  
  
"Luka," Mina said. "He's six weeks old."  
  
She eased the baby from the sling, shushing his protest. He was still small, but no longer wrinkly. His pink skin was no longer translucent, and his eyes had begun to change to his father's dark green.  
  
Ingeras approached and reached out a finger, touching the hair on Luka's little head. "Why is he so small?"  
  
"He was premature," Mina explained. "I slipped and fell, and it made me go into labour. He's still got a long way to go before he's up to speed with other babies."  
  
"My son," Ingeras began, and stopped. He turned to look at Vlad. "My son was late in coming. Such a stubborn thing he was."  
  
"What did you name him?"  
  
"Erzebet and I named him Vlad," he said softly. "It seemed appropriate."  
  
Vlad reached over and lightly slapped his son on the back. After a moment, he drew the other man into a hug. Mina couldn't help smiling. Of all the things she'd hoped the season would bring, Ingeras was the last she'd ever expected. But his reappearance into their lives was the best she could have hoped for.  
  
"What do you plan to do now?" Vlad asked his son.  
  
Ingeras shrugged. "I'm not sure. I didn't plan for this to go like this, but I'm so glad you aren't angry with me."  
  
"How could I be angry, _fiul meu_?" Vlad asked softly. "How could I _ever_ be angry with you?"  
  
Ingeras smiled shakily. "I've been _his_ lackey for five hundred years."  
  
"You had no other choice, that you knew of," Mina pointed out. She settled Luka back in the sling and sat back in her chair.  
  
He gave her a grateful smile. "Is . . . it alright if I call you 'mother'?"  
  
"Absolutely!"  
  
Vlad gestured for Ingeras to sit. "Sit. Have some wine. We have a lot of catching up to do."  
  


* * *

 

  
The three of them talked for hours, long into the night, about many things. They explained Mina's reincarnation and her struggle with her memories. Vlad detailed what the master vampire had been doing to them. Ingeras was surprised at Mina's "trial run" at being a vampire. He'd had no idea about the three day limit.  
  
Eventually, Mina had to excuse herself and go to bed. She left Vlad and Ingeras talking and took Luka upstairs.  
  
"This has been quite a night, hasn't it, sweetheart?" she asked the baby as she readied him for bed, which included feeding him. "Who would have thought your big brother was still around?"  
  
Luka said, "Ehhh!"  
  
Still, she felt something was off, that this was just too good to be true. She _knew_ in her heart that this was Ingeras. She could see her son in him. And wasn't that a strange thing, thinking of Ingeras as hers when he was so much older than she! In her memory, he was still a boy, just a child. It was a grown man downstairs with his father.  
  
Mina quickly changed Luka into his little pajamas and carried him into her bedroom, where she got him settled into his basket. He kicked his little legs as she tried to tuck him in, and he gave her a toothless grin.  
  
She leaned down and kissed his fuzzy head. "Do you know," she asked him in a whisper, "how precious you are, my little one?"  
  
The baby crammed his fingers into his mouth.  
  
Mina laughed softly. "Go to sleep, sweetie. Mummy's right here."  
  
She changed into her own nightclothes and crawled into bed, pulling the covers up to her neck to ward off the early December chill. Out in the hall, she heard Vlad and Ingeras, still conversing in low voices, and a warmth filled her.  
  
Her family was together again, which was more than a minor miracle.  
  
Still, a thought lingered at the back of her mind. Her family was together again, but at what cost?  
  


* * *

 

  
When Lucy came back, she knocked on Mina's door, waking her.  
  
"Sorry, I know it's late. But there's a strange car outside, and Vlad's gone."  
  
Mina couldn't help smiling, even if sleepily. "Oh," she said. "That's . . ."  
  
"That's . . .?" Lucy prompted.  
  
Her smile turned into a grin. "That would be Ingeras's car, I guess."  
  
Lucy stared at her. "Are you sleepwalking? Because I'm fairly certain Ingeras is _dead_ and has been for a few hundred years."  
  
Mina shook her head, still smiling. "No. I mean it, Lu. Ingeras is alive. Well. He's a vampire. But he's alive. I'm guessing he and Vlad are outside somewhere."  
  
"Huh. Is _everyone_ around here a vampire?"  
  
"I'm not anymore. And Luka's only half. But yeah, feels that way."  
  
Lucy's brows drew together. "How did- When did- I'm so confused."  
  
Mina fetched her robe, leaving the baby sleeping, and led Lucy downstairs. She fixed some cocoa for both of them and they sat at the table, where Mina explained everything that Lucy had missed.  
  
"Dammit, I miss everything," Lucy muttered. "First there's Van Helsing. Then the master. Now Ingeras."  
  
"You'll meet him soon enough. Oh, I think I hear them."  
  
The two men came in through the kitchen door moments later. It was snowing again, and they brushed off the light dusting of flakes they were covered in. Vlad was grinning broadly.  
  
"Ah, you're back!" he said to Lucy. "Lucy, I am beyond pleased to introduce you to my son, Ingeras Dracula. Ingeras, this is Lucy . . ."  
  
"Westenra," Lucy supplied smoothly. She had a very big smile on her face. "Considering that I'd assumed you were dead until a few minutes ago, I am very pleased to meet you."  
  
She stood and shook his hand. Ingeras, a product of the age in which he'd grown up, bent his head over her hand and kissed her knuckles. Lucy was quite obviously charmed.  
  
"Lovely to meet you, Mistress Lucy. My father tells me that, too, are a survivor of the master vampire's plotting. My condolences on your mother, and my congratulations on your strength of will."  
  
As Ingeras straightened, his green eyes were only for Lucy. Mina smothered a smirk and glanced at Vlad, who seemed to have developed a sudden eye tic.  
  
"My strength of will?" Lucy repeated, one red brow raised.  
  
"Many of our kind, as I'm sure you know, become savage monsters after the change," Ingeras said.  
  
"Yes, Vlad's filled us in on that one," Lucy said. "I guess I'm too much of a prima donna to let a little thing like a vampiric curse get the better of me."  
  
Mina laughed. "That's for sure!"  
  
Lucy stuck her tongue out at her.  
  
Vlad said, "I don't mean to be the grumpy patriarch of the family, but it _is_ almost dawn and I think all of us need to be in bed."  
  
Mina yawned. "Yes, sleep sounds good."  
  
After bidding goodnight to Lucy and Ingeras, Vlad escorted Mina upstairs.  
  
"They were flirting!" he blurted as soon as he shut the bedroom door. "*Flirting*!"  
  
Mina burst out laughing. "You looked like you were about to have a stroke! Relax, Vlad, that's just how Lucy is. I'm pretty sure she's just flexing the old muscles now that she's . . . Well, not single, but you know what I mean."  
  
He pressed his fingers to the side of his eye to stop the tic, and Mina giggled.  
  
"Stop laughing!" he complained. "You're only making it worse!"  
  
"Why are you freaking out about a little flirting?"  
  
Vlad flailed his free hand towards the door. "Because he's our son, and- and it's Lucy!"  
  
Grinning, Mina sat on the bed. "You're still thinking of him as ten. He's five hundred and-" She did some quick mental math. "-sixty one, Vlad. He's not a little boy anymore, and I'm pretty certain Lucy can take care of herself."  
  
"But . . ."  
  
"Why isn't the possibility bothering _you_?" her husband demanded.  
  
She shook her head. "For one, they're both vampires, and both adults when turned. In fact, I think they're the same age, physically. It's not as if age really matters, anyway. Secondly, Lucy's already family to me, and the thought doesn't bother me. Thirdly, I think the way your eye is twitching is hilarious."  
  
He growled and threw himself down on the bed. "This isn't funny, Mina."  
  
"You're overthinking a very short interaction. If we catch them making out in a closet, then it'll be time to panic."  
  
"You're not helping."  
  
"Really not," she agreed.  
  
"You are very lucky I love you."  
  
"Mm."  
  
Mina put the baby in his basket. "Want to show me just how lucky I am?" she purred.  
  
In response, Vlad grabbed her and hauled her to the bed.  
  
  


* * *

 

 

"I've a brilliant idea," Lucy said the next afternoon, after everyone was up for the night. "Why don't Vlad and Ingeras go, and you and I can stay here with the baby?"  
  
Mina looked to her husband with raised brows. "What do you think? Send the two, big, strong vampire men in to navigate the monastery while Lucy and I stay here and give each other pedicures?"  
  
Vlad gave her a look. "You hate pedicures."  
  
"No, I hate strange people I don't know touching my feet. There's a difference." She waved that away. "But really. You and Ingeras going on a search for anything. Besides, I think Ingeras, come to think of it, might know more about where Lucien had the manuscripts or what he did with them after they left Cozia."  
  
"What documents are you looking for?" Ingeras asked. "Lucien had a _lot_ of papers."  
  
"The ones on vampires," his father said. "Specifically, the ones about the master."  
  
Ingeras's face lit with realisation. "Ohhh. You're trying to find a weakness, aren't you? I can tell you, after five hundred years in his presence, he doesn't have many."  
  
"What weaknesses does he have?"  
  
Ingeras leaned back in his chair and propped one ankle over his knee. Dressed in jeans and a sweater, he almost didn't look anything like the little boy Mina remembered. If not for the resemblance to his father . . .  
  
"The usual. Silver. Sunlight, though that just makes him weak, it doesn't kill him. Holy water burns him but won't kill him. I've never tried staking him. I mean, I'm not an idiot."  
  
Mina said, "He told me stakes don't work."  
  
Her son shrugged. "We could always try cutting his head off, see if that works."  
  
"Everything dies if you cut its head off," Vlad commented, "but we'd all have to get together and hold him. He's incredibly strong and incredibly powerful."  
  
"Not to mention, he'd see it coming from a mile away," Ingeras put in. "The things that guy knows are scary."  
  
"Vlad said he's psychic?" Lucy phrased it as a question.  
  
Ingeras nodded, hair falling in his eyes. He brushed at it impatiently. "Far as I can tell, yes. He can smell emotions, just about read thoughts. I mean, he _did_ ask for power when he made the deal with the devil."  
  
Mina sighed and propped her chin on her hand. "So he's stronger, faster, more powerful, psychic . . . What hope do we have of actually killing him?"  
  
"He wants to die, I think," Vlad said. "Subconsciously if not consciously. He wants me to help him exact revenge on _his_ creator, but I think he wouldn't be poking at us with a sharp stick if he didn't want a reaction."  
  
"Makes sense," Ingeras said, and nodded. "If it helps, he's completely insane. Of course, I'm talking Hannibal Lecter type mental, not . . . hallucinating, throw-him-in-a-rubber-room mental."  
  
Lucy asked, "What, he eats people?"  
  
Ingeras nodded. "He's not your typical vampire. He drinks blood, but he also . . . sometimes eats his victims. Just parts."  
  
"That is vile, and I'm glad he only killed Mum." Then she frowned. "That is a horrible thing to say, but-"  
  
"We got your meaning," Mina told her. "I'm glad, too. Your mum didn't deserve . . . _that_."  
  
"So he's weak during the day. That leaves the problem of, how do we get to him then?" Vlad drummed his fingers on the table, then rubbed a knuckle against his chin. "The only one of us who can go out in sunlight is Mina."  
  
"And I'm not strong enough to take him on," she said. "Any conditions where you three could take him on, he'll be just as strong or stronger."  
  
Her husband nodded. "Which is why we need to look through those documents and see if they have anything in them that might help us."  
  
"I'm willing to go," Ingeras told his father. "Even if I hate the place with a passion, I'll go."  
  
"Tomorrow, then," Vlad said. He turned to Mina. "I'm reluctant to leave you here alone, even with Lucy. If you come with us as far as Bistriţa, that would make me feel better."  
  
Mina nodded. "We can do that."


	14. Chapter 14

**\--Chapter Fourteen--**  
  
Packing warm clothes, Mina made sure she had plenty of things to bundle Luka in. She expected to spend the duration in a nice, warm hotel, but just in case there was some unforeseen event, she had a pile of blankets and several changes of baby clothes.  
  
Ingeras pretty much had the clothes on his back, not having many worldly possessions besides his car. He explained that it wasn't because he didn't have access to or funds for things, he just hadn't wanted to burden himself more than necessary in the event he was able to cut and run.  
  
"Well, you're settling here," Mina told him. "End of story."  
  
"Yes, Mummy," he quipped.  
  
Impulsively, she hugged him. "I can't tell you how happy I am you're here."  
  
Ingeras hugged her back without hesitation. "The day you died, the day Papa sacrificed himself to stop the other vampires, that was the worst of my life. And yet, somehow, I have both of you back."  
  
"The circumstances could be better, but . . . We're all together again." Mina grinned up at him. "Tell me about Erzebet and Vlad."  
  
Vlad found them there, engrossed in stories of Little Vlad's escapades. The sight of Mina and Ingeras laughing together filled him with warmth.  
  
"What are we laughing about?" he asked.  
  
Mina wiped tears from her eyes. "He was just telling me about his son." She giggled. "Two year old got into the honey, and then got hold of the cat."  
  
Vlad winced and chuckled. "Reminds me of _you_ at that age," he told their son. "You were always getting into things."  
  
"I remember something about frogs," Ingeras volunteered.  
  
Mina started giggling again. "Oh, the frogs! Cazan was after Vlad about that for _weeks_ afterwards!"  
  
"Cazan never did like me much," Ingeras observed. "He even tried to _eat_ me."  
  
"I stopped him," Vlad said. "I would never have let him touch you."  
  
"I know, Papa."  
  
Mina shook her head. "I always thought he was too . . . obsessed with keeping you at a distance from Ingeras," she told her husband. "And I don't know why he was like that."  
  
Vlad shrugged. "Besides being a bossy bastard, I don't know what his problem was."  
  
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "We need to get going if we're going to reach Bistriţa before full dark."  
  
Reminded of their mission, Mina sobered and gave him a nod. "We'll be ready to go soon."

 

* * *

  
  
The roads were icy, and it was slow going.  
  
"I should have bought a better vehicle for this," Vlad muttered to Mina as he drove.  
  
She squinted through the windshield. "How can you even see through this?"  
  
"Vampire senses," he reminded her.  
  
"Right." She shook her head. "I had them for such a short time, I didn't get to use them much."  
  
"One day, you will."  
  
In the back, where he sat with Luka and Lucy, Ingeras said, "I'm half inclined to tell you not to do it, but I can't imagine you two apart."  
  
"The only reason I haven't already is that I'm stubborn and want at least one more baby, hopefully a girl, before I change." Mina twisted in her seat and reached into the back to brush a hand over Luka's fuzzy little head.  
  
"Children are a blessing," Ingeras said quietly. "Unfortunately, Erzebet and I only had one."  
  
"And I'm not going to have any," Lucy sighed. "Probably for the best. Wouldn't want that permanent tie to Arthur."  
  
"Who is Arthur?" Ingeras asked.  
  
Lucy sniffed. "Arthur would be my soon-to-be ex-husband. We've been married since September, but when I was turned into a vampire, he decided he couldn't be married to me."  
  
"He's an idiot," Mina put in.  
  
"If he can't stay faithful through that, then he doesn't truly love you," Ingeras stated. "True love knows no limits."  
  
Mina looked to Vlad. He glanced her way and smiled.  
  
"No," she agreed. "It doesn't."  
  


* * *

 

  
They reached the hotel Vlad had made reservations at just before dark. The snow and overcast sky was a blessing to the vampires, but Mina resented it just a little. She hurried into the lobby with the baby and the diaper bag, knowing that Vlad and Ingeras would bring everything else.  
  
Up in their room, Mina got Luka settled. Despite her best efforts, his little face was red from the cold. He was too young to giggle when she peppered his face with kisses to warm him up, but he grabbed at her hair.  
  
"He's so cute," Lucy said with a sigh. "So little and perfect."  
  
Vlad came into the bedroom, pulling gloves on. "I just wanted to let you know that Ingeras and I are headed out. Please stay here."  
  
"Oh, we're going to order room service and watch porn," Lucy told him gleefully.  
  
He just stared at her.  
  
"Room service, yes," Mina said, giving Lucy the eye. "No porn."  
  
"Spoil all my fun," Lucy said, and pretended to sulk.  
  
Mina rolled her eyes. "Ignore her," she said to Vlad. She stood on her toes to kiss him. "I love you. Be careful. Be safe. Come back to me."  
  
"I always will," he whispered, and kissed her back.  
  
Lucy pretended to gag herself. Mina sent her a rude gesture.  
  
Vlad chuckled. "We'll be back soon. I can't say how long we'll be gone, but I don't imagine this will keep us 'til dawn."  
  
He excused himself and left. Mina heaved a sigh and shook her head. "If I could go with . . ."  
  
"Let them take care of it. Your responsibility is the baby. My responsibility is you." Lucy picked up the room's phone. "So. Chocolate?"  
  


* * *

 

  
With the baby to her shoulder, Mina paced.  
  
"How long will they be gone?" Lucy asked.  
  
"No idea. could be a few hours, could be many hours. It all depends on what they find."  
  
"Which could be a big, fat load of nothing." Lucy watched Mina pace. "You're making me nervous."  
  
"I can't settle. Ever since the change, even though I'm human again, I just . . . have too much energy and I feel sometimes like my skin is crawling."  
  
Lucy picked at her cake with her fork. "Maybe it did something to you and you'll slowly turn into a vampire anyway."  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised."  
  
"Mmm." Lucy took a bite of chocolate. "I have a question. If Vlad was prince of Wallachia, why does he keep referring to his people as the Transylvanians?"  
  
"Because he was from Transylvania, and at least half his people were Transylvanians."  
  
"Oh."  
  
There was more to it than that, but Mina wasn't in the mood to explain the histories of Transylvania and Wallachia and the roles the Dracula family had in them.  
  
"You ever think about using Vlad's hoards of money and building a castle?" Lucy asked.  
  
Mina laughed. "It's occurred to me. Right now, I'm happy with the house we have. I don't need a castle. It's not as if we have a kingdom to look out for. We just have . . . us."  
  
Lucy finished her cake and set the plate aside. She was sprawled on her stomach on Mina's bed, and the plate went on the floor. "This might be a really awkward question, but . . ."  
  
"You know you can ask me anything."  
  
"Mmm. You say that _now_."  
  
"What's on your mind?"  
  
"Well . . ." Lucy hesitated. "Ingeras."  
  
Mina snickered.  
  
"What?" Lucy demanded.  
  
"Oh, Vlad and I had this conversation about you two flirting. He, ah, isn't fond of the idea."  
  
Lucy's mouth twisted and her nose wrinkled. "You two talked about us?"  
  
"Vlad was flipping out. I admit I wasn't of much help to him. I pointed out that you're adults."  
  
Red brows rose nearly to Lucy's hairline. "So, hypothetically, if I were to, say, develop an interest in him, you wouldn't freak?"  
  
Mina put Luka down in his carrier. Then she sat on the edge of the bed. "Lu, you're my best friend and my sister. Yes, Ingeras is technically my son, but the man he is? That isn't the boy I have memories of raising. There's virtually no connection in my head between him as he is now and how he was as a boy, because I wasn't there when he grew into this man. Not to say I'm not fond of him, but . . . I want what's best for each of you. And _if_ that were to turn out to be each other, I would be fine with that."  
  
"But Vlad wouldn't."  
  
"Vlad would live with it if he had to. Part of him still sees Ingeras as a little boy, not a grown man and a father himself."  
  
Lucy said, "This is all just hypothetical, of course. I've barely spoken to Ingeras."  
  
"He's attractive, though," Mina said. "And I'm not just saying that as his mother."  
  
Laughing, Lucy shook her head. "I'm still . . . Alright, alright, I'm attracted to him! But I still love Arthur."  
  
"I know you do. And you probably will for a while."  
  
"Do you still love Jonathan?"  
  
Mina thought about it. "I loved him. I'm still fond of his memory, but am I still in love with him? No. He'll always be someone who was very special to me. But Vlad . . ."  
  
"Is your one, true love."  
  
"Simply put, yes. It's hard to explain what Vlad and I have."  
  
"You know, when you got together with him so fast, and ended up pregnant, I thought you were out of your mind. But knowing now that you were married to him before, it's not so crazy."  
  
Mina nodded. She shifted to mimic Lucy's pose, side by side. "Part of me was scared by how fast it was going, but I couldn't *not*. I know now that was my subconscious, Mirena's surfacing memories. I look back and so much makes more sense than it did in the moment."  
  
"You ever fear that you'll lose yourself to your past life?"  
  
Shaking her head, Mina said, "I did before. During those times when the memories would come and I was helpless, I was terrified that they'd take over and I wouldn't be _me_ anymore. But ever since I was changed, even briefly, I feel more in control than I did."  
  
"Good, because I don't know this Mirena person, and while I'm sure she's very nice, she isn't my best friend."  
  
"You don't need to worry. I'm still Mina, and I'm staying that way. I'm just . . . also Mirena."  
  
"That I can deal with."

 

* * *

 

  
  
"I'm fairly sure," Ingeras said as they stared at the ruins in front of them, "that this is my least favourite place on the planet."  
  
"Does that include New York City?" Vlad asked.  
  
"Hey, I love New York."  
  
"I don't. Nasty, dirty place. I've been worse, but there's something about New York . . ." Vlad trailed off as the pair of them crunched through the snow on the path to the monastery.  
  
"It's Times Square, isn't it?"  
  
"More like the pervasive smell of urine and the attitudes of the people there." Vlad made a face. He and Ingeras didn't really _need_ the flashlights they carried, but they helped illuminate.  
  
He warned his son to watch his head as they entered through the front gate, one of the doors hanging off its ancient hinges. Ingeras ducked under, then shone his flashlight across the inner courtyard.  
  
"We weren't here long after the battle," he told his father. "The priests who survived, all of three of them including Lucien, were here long enough to bury the dead, including Mama. Then we left for Bucharest. I remember Lucien was very anxious about his papers, but I don't remember if he got all of them or not. It was all a bit frantic, and I . . . wasn't paying much attention."  
  
Ingeras indicated where Lucien's room had been. It was a tiny cell, with the remains of a wooden cot against one wall. There was an old, collapsed table, in splinters, and a leaning bookcase. Save for the dessicated corpse of a rat under the table, everything was empty.  
  
They checked all the priest cells, finding them all in a similar state. Eventually, they made their way to the library. There, they found a wealth of mouldering parchments, most of them flaking and turning to dust.  
  
Vlad picked up a folio, which fell apart in his hands when he tried to open it. "If there's anything here, it won't be of any use to us. Nothing's intact, it's all water damaged, and it isn't legible anymore."  
  
Ingeras nudged aside an old, rotting tapestry. "It makes me sad to see all of this knowledge lost."  
  
Vlad smiled in the darkness. "You definitely take after your mother."  
  
"What does Mina do?"  
  
"She's a college instructor, or has been. Gothic literature. English, specifically."  
  
"Oddly appropriate. Mama always did love to read to me."  
  
"And I was the one that took you horseback riding." Vlad sighed. "I wish I'd taken you horseback riding that Easter, no matter what your mother said."  
  
Ingeras laughed. "She would have killed you. The holy days were important to her."  
  
"Yes, they were."  
  
"Is Mina religious?"  
  
Vlad shook his head. "Not particularly. She has a cross I gave her, for protection, but she keeps forgetting to wear it."  
  
"Probably because it's silver and would hurt you," Ingeras pointed out.  
  
"Most likely." Vlad sighed. "I think this trip was a waste."

"Which we wouldn't have known if we hadn't come. Ergo . . ."  
  
His father nodded. "Let's get back. I don't want to be gone from Mina or the baby too long."  
  
Ingeras coughed into his hand. "Whipped."  
  
"Watch it, before I cuff you for insolence."  
  
His son just stuck his tongue out at him, then turned into bats and flew about ten feet out of reach, coalescing into his laughing self. "Bring it on, old man!"  
  
Vlad shook his head. "Never mind. I'll let your mother do it."  
  
Ingeras abruptly sobered. "Anything but that," he said. "If Mina is anything like- like Mama, she's the only person I can think of as scary as you when angry."  
  
Vlad just grinned.


	15. Chapter 15

**\--Chapter Fifteen--**  
  
As they flew back to the hotel, Vlad's thoughts were consumed by his son's words.  
  
Mirena had been boisterous when happy, which had been most of the time. A bright, bubbly, teasing woman, she had filled his world with light. And when she was angry, she could lay into him like no other.  
  
But it was when she was quietly angry that one had really needed to worry. The quieter she became, too, the more you knew you were in trouble. With Ingeras, she'd never needed to shout. Silent disapproval had been all that was needed to keep the boy in line.  
  
Mina was different. She was more direct and open when angry, and her wrath, as evidenced by her attacks on Van Helsing and the master, was a thing to behold. Vlad wondered how she'd be when Luka was old enough to get into trouble. Would she revert to Mirena's icy, unspoken temper? She'd never been angry enough at him to yell, so he had no idea.  
  
When he walked into their suite at the hotel, he found Lucy holding the baby. The redhead nodded towards the bedroom, and said in a low voice, "Mina crashed about fifteen minutes ago. How was the excursion?"  
  
"Fruitless." Vlad took the baby from Lucy and cuddled his son. "If anything remained there, it's long turned to rot."  
  
"That's a shame. What are we going to do now?"  
  
"I have a few ideas, but we'll discuss them later."  
  
Lucy nodded. "I was just watching the baby 'til you got back. I'll say good night now."  
  
She left. Vlad paced the living area of the suite with the baby for some time, thinking about what to do next. Silently, he prayed that the knowledge they needed had not been lost, that it existed somewhere and that they could find it.  
  
Eventually, he had to put Luka down and go to bed. He found Mina sound asleep on the bed, on top of the covers. She didn't stir as he tucked her into bed, or when he joined her.  
  
Sighing Vlad wrapped an arm around her. Tomorrow they would plan their next move. Their searching might be in vain, but at least it was something to make them feel less helpless.  
  
Right then, Vad felt very, very helpless.

 

* * *

  
  
"Castle Dracula is long gone, so that isn't going to help," Ingeras said. "There are a few monasteries that might have something preserved, but I'm afraid that what we found at Cozia was the remains of what we're looking for."  
  
Lucy leaned her elbows on the table and propped her chin in her hands. "What, exactly, _are_ we looking for?"  
  
"Primarily," Vlad said, "a book, handwritten, with sketches in it of the master. I don't know what else is in it. I only saw the pages Lucien showed me."  
  
"Helpful," Lucy said morosely. "We're looking for a book that may or may not still exist, that was written centuries ago, and we don't know what it looks like."  
  
"That's about the gist of it," Ingeras told her. "Fun, huh?"  
  
Mina had been quiet through this discussion, but now she said, "I can think of a place that might have texts on this kind of thing. Getting in would be a pain in the arse, though."  
  
Vlad looked to her. "Where is that?"  
  
"I know that Lucien was an Eastern Orthodox monk, but the Order of the Dragon was Catholic, wasn't it?"  
  
Vlad nodded. "More or less. It was sort of a joint venture between Rome and the Emperor, between Catholicism and Orthodoxy."  
  
"So . . . if the prophecies were made in Rome, maybe we could find something in Rome about it."  
  
"You're going a little Dan Brown here, Mina," Lucy put in. "You're thinking about dragging the Vatican into this, aren't you?"  
  
"Not dragging, per se. More . . . poking a little and seeing what rears its head."  
  
Vlad ran his fingers through his dark hair, ruffling the black waves. "I was never technically part of the Order, but my father was. I don't know if the Order still exists, but . . ."  
  
He trailed off, staring into space.  
  
"What is it?" Mina asked.  
  
"Just a thought. I still have my father's Order medallion. I snuck into the castle after I supposedly died and I took it and a few other things I thought I might need in the future. I'm just trying to remember where I put it."  
  
Ingeras looked stunned. "It _was_ you I saw that night!"  
  
"Pardon?" His father looked bemused.  
  
"A few nights after my coronation, I thought I saw you in the castle. In your old room."  
  
Vlad nodded. "I couldn't stop to talk to you. I needed everyone to believe me dead."  
  
"You could have let _me_ know you were alive."  
  
"You were only ten. Would you have been able to keep the knowledge secret?"  
  
Ingeras thought about that for a moment. "No," he admitted. "Probably not."  
  
"What good would this medallion be?" Lucy inquired of Vlad. "Proof of ID, that sort of thing?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know if the Order still exists. But I know that the Pope of the time was very pleased with my taking out the Turkish army, even if I was rumoured to be under dark magic."  
  
Ingeras snorted. "Rumoured."  
  
"They never had proof I was a vampire," Vlad pointed out.  
  
"They will if you go waltzing into the Vatican and introduce yourself," Lucy told him.  
  
That gave them all pause.  
  
"I'll do it," Mina said. "As I'm an instructor, or was, at the university here, I could easily say that I'm researching an old tale I heard, that I'm writing a book and need to speak to someone about it."  
  
"That's brilliant," Ingeras said. "But what's the old tale, exactly?"  
  
Mina thought for a long moment, tapping her pen against her lip. "Well . . . How about that in the fifteenth century, there was rumoured to be an enclave of priests in the Carpathian mountains who were also vampire hunters affiliated with the Order of the Dragon?"  
  
"One of them _did_ try to kill me," Vlad said dryly, "so technically speaking, that isn't a lie."  
  
"I like it," Lucy said. "So when do we leave?"

 

* * *

 

  
  
It took very little to prepare for a trip to Rome and Vatican City. Since Mina still had her university connections and her credentials--officially, she was on sabbatical--she didn't anticipate much difficulty getting into the library at the Vatican.  
  
Vlad again chartered a jet, and they landed in Rome just after dark, it being an hour earlier than in Romania. Vlad had rented a villa just outside Vatican City, and in addition to his vehicle, they rented one for Mina to use while driving around during the day.  
  
The following day, Mina took a tour of the parts of the Vatican that were open to the public, then asked who she needed to speak to in order to gain access to the library. She had to fill out forms, present credentials, and explain what she was expecting to find at the library.  
  
Eventually, they let her in, and assigned her to one Father Angelo, who curated the more unusual texts the library had.  
  
"So you are writing about vampire-hunting priests, yes?" He looked very amused. "I have, in fact, heard rumours of these priests myself. Come, I think I know of a book that will interest you."  
  
Mina followed him deep into the library, and into a wood-paneled room. "I know it's an unusual research subject, but when I heard about the order and their ties to the Order of the Dragon--according to some research I was able to conduct in Bucharest, several of them were in the, er, not employ, but service, I suppose, of Vlad the Impaler? Well, that I just had to look into."  
  
"Yes."  
  
Father Angelo scanned the shelves, looking intently for the one he wanted. After several minutes of looking, he located a box and pulled it off the shelf.  
  
"As far as we're aware," the priest said, as he carefully set the box down on a nearby table, "this is the only copy of this manuscript in existence. It was rescued from a fire in a monastery in Hungary in the 1700s and brought here."  
  
He opened the box, revealing a coverless manuscript of thick paper, and he carefully pulled it out of the box and set it down on the table.  
  
Mina adjusted the soft cotton gloves she'd been given and lightly touched the book. "If I find any interesting passages, is there a way I could duplicate the page?"  
  
Father Angelo pushed his glasses up his nose. "Well, as this isn't one of our more valuable manuscripts, I don't see why you couldn't take pictures if you have the means. It's prolonged light exposure that could hurt it."  
  
She nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. Have you ever seen the Book of Kells, Father? It's kept in near-darkness to preserve it."  
  
He smiled broadly. "Yes. Such a lovely example of illustration. I wish we had more of that kind of thing left, but people like to steal them."  
  
"Don't worry, Father, the only thing I'll take from here is knowledge."  
  
He bowed his head briefly. "If you need me, I'll be over at my desk."  
  
Mina sat down and began very carefully turning pages. Some of them had been taped back into the book with old sello-tape some years ago, and the plastic was flaking in places. The text in the book was faint brown on many of the pages, making it difficult to read. It didn't help that it was in Latin, which she herself didn't speak and Mirena had only had a rudimentary grasp of.  
  
Then, halfway through the book, she found a drawing like Vlad had described, of a thin, naked creature with fangs and claws devouring people. Two pages later was a drawing of a man with a creature whispering in its ear.  
  
A chill went up Mina's spine, and she knew she'd found it. She didn't know if it was the same manuscript Lucien had had, but Hungary and Romania had shared and fought over their border for centuries. What had been Hungary in the 1700s could have been Transylvania in the 1400s.  
  
Pulling out her smartphone, Mina took picture after picture of everything she thought might be relevant, and then jotted down everything she could actually translate as fast as she could. She was so absorbed in her work that when Father Angelo came over and spoke, she jumped, nearly throwing her pen.  
  
"Ah, I see you found what you were looking for."  
  
"Somewhat. There isn't a name listed of this man who was supposedly turned into a vampire. I thought it might be interesting to not only write about the priests themselves, but about their beliefs."  
  
He nodded. "Yes, anything less would be incomplete, wouldn't it?"  
  
His brown eyes skimmed the text. "Ah. I'm familiar with this tale, but purely through legend. Did you know that it's rumoured that the Emperor Caligula was, in fact, a vampire?"  
  
Mina looked at him with curiosity. "Oh? I know it's a myth that Judas Iscariot became a vampire after his death."  
  
"Yes, that is a popular myth." Father Angelo nodded.  
  
"Wasn't Caligula assassinated, though?"  
  
"That is one account. It is a little . . . questionable given that his manner of assassination is nearly identical to Julius Caesar's, even to the number of wounds and the identity of his assailant."  
  
"Hmm." Mina scrawled "Caligula?" in her notes.  
  
"You say you teach in Bucharest?" Father Angelo asked.  
  
"I did. I'm taking some time off with the birth of my son, and to do some research. Why?"  
  
He shrugged. "If you are looking for rumoured vampires in the Carpathians, you should look into Vlad III."  
  
"Oh, yes. I have a whole section of the book on him. Quite the character. Which tale of _his_ death do you think is true? Killed by Turks, or by his own people?"  
  
"That is a very good question. Given that there is no death date for him, and there are so many questions around his manner of death, I have always found him to be a fascinating subject. But do not tell the Bishop." He winked, and Mina smiled.  
  
"Thank you, Father, for your help. I think it's time I get back to my son. If I may, can I return tomorrow and have another look at this book?"  
  
"Certainly. Go, be with your child. It was very nice to meet you, Ms. Murray."  
  
"And you, Father."  
  


* * *

 

  
Mina stopped at an internet cafe and print shop before heading back to the villa. Ingeras was asleep on the sofa, one hand resting in Luka's basket, when Mina arrived. She grinned at the sight of her sons both sound asleep.  
  
Vlad came out of their bedroom when he heard her arrive. He, too, smiled at Ingeras and Luka. "What did you find?" he asked quietly.  
  
Mina pulled up her cell phone and found the sketch of the vampire drinking from people. "Is this the drawing you saw?"  
  
"Yes! You found the book?"  
  
She nodded. "Rescued from a monastery in the 1700s during a fire. In Hungary. I think it's _the_ book. I honestly wasn't expecting to find anything, but Father Angelo knew exactly where to look."  
  
He scrolled through the pictures. "This is incredible. We need to print these out."  
  
Mina reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of prints. "Already done."  
  
Hearing voices, Lucy came out of her room. "How went the research, Teacher?"  
  
Vlad leaned over and nudged Ingeras. His son sat up with a yawn.  
  
Mina spread her printouts on the table. "I found the book. But I can't read most of it."  
  
Her husband picked up one of the printouts. "I'll give it a try. It's been a long while, but I was taught Latin, Greek, Romanian, and Turkish."  
  
"Show-off," Mina joked.  
  
"And since then I've learned Arabic, Italian, French, Russian, Welsh, Mandarin, and German," he added.  
  
Ingeras asked, "Why Welsh?"  
  
"Because I was bored." Vlad skimmed the document. "It's difficult to make out, but yes, this is what we were looking for. It talks about a man who, in a quest to regain his power--not just to gain power, but to _re_ gain power--sought the help of a demon. This says he was a Roman citizen, and he tried several Roman mystics first, which would explain a lot of how they knew what he was doing. And . . . it says he was told of a cave in Romania where a demon was rumoured to live. So that's what he was doing there. I'd always wondered. Damned odd place to end up, really."  
  
Mina was writing as fast as she could, to catch his dictation. "I could read a little of it, but I didn't see a name anywhere."  
  
"No, there's no name listed." Vlad went through each page, one by one, translating what each said.  
  
"Father Angelo, who was helping me at the library, is in charge of the more, ah, unusual religious texts. Such as the ones by priests that illustrate dragons and gryphons, and talk about monsters. That was why this book was in his section. Anyway, he said he's fascinated by vampire legends himself, and he told me that there was a rumour that Caligula was turned into a vampire."  
  
"Caligula as in the psycho emperor?" Lucy asked.  
  
"That's the one."  
  
"But he was assassinated," Vlad said. "Wasn't he?"  
  
"In exactly the same way and by a guy with the same name as the one who took out Julius Caesar?" Mina asked. "Doesn't that sound a little suspicious to you?"  
  
". . . Actually, yes."  
  
"And there was Rasputin," Ingeras put in. "Didn't they stab him, shoot him, poison him, and throw him into a river before he died?"  
  
Vlad tapped his chin. "If this Caligula survived the assassination attempt, and went to the demon in order to regain power and get back on the throne . . ."  
  
"I looked it up while I was in the internet cafe. Caligula supposedly died in 41 AD at the age of twenty-eight. If he hid out for several years, searching for a way to get power back, he could easily have been old like the master is when he located the demon." Mina produced a printout of a bust of Caligula. "Doesn't that look like a younger version of the bastard we've been fighting?"  
  
"The nose is certainly him," Ingeras said. "The bust is less jowly."  
  
Lucy laughed. "Time does that to all of us, even unholy vampires."  
  
Vlad ran a finger along his jawline, and Mina poked him in the stomach.  
  
"So we think we have a name. But he's not Rumplestiltskin. How do we kill him?" Lucy asked.  
  
"I haven't found anything that says," Vlad sighed. "There are a few passages that are difficult to read. I'm going to spend some more time with them, see if I can get anything out of them."  
  
Mina picked up Luka's basket. "I'm going to take a nap. My sleep schedule is so incredibly messed up."  
  
"Then we're going shopping," Lucy said. "Even if I have to make it rain, we're going to hit some designer shops."  
  
Laughing, Mina shook her head. "You and your shopping. Fine. We'll go shopping."


	16. Chapter 16

**\--Chapter Sixteen--**  
  
They didn't have to make it rain. The sky was already overcast and drizzling when Mina woke from her nap. They left Vlad trying to decipher the faded parts of the manuscript photos, and Ingeras tagged along.  
  
"What are we shopping for, exactly?" Ingeras asked.  
  
"Lucy likes to browse," Mina explained. But I think Christmas shopping might be a good idea."  
  
Ingeras frowned. "It's stupid to admit, but I haven't spent the last few centuries making investments the way Father has. *He* did, but . . . I wasn't allowed a means of independence outside of a few hundred dollars. He kept me on a tight leash."  
  
"Probably for his own sick amusement," Mina said angrily. "If I could stake him, I would."  
  
Lucy playfully linked her arm with Ingeras's and said, "Don't worry, we'll spend all your daddy's money on you."  
  
"You can try," Mina said. "I think Vlad has more money than Bill Gates."  
  
"Who is Bill Gates?" Ingeras asked.  
  
"Really rich American who owns a software company. I think he owns it, anyway," Lucy said. "No matter. Point is, Vlad owes a lot of child support."  
  
Mina laughed. She had Luka in the sling, and a shawl wrapped around her for added warmth, the ends draped over the baby. He was sound asleep, her sweater gripped in one tiny fist.  
  
They spent the afternoon and early evening wandering from one store and boutique to the next. Ingeras ended up with the most purchases, because he needed clothes. Mina made just a few choice purchases, Christmas presents for her small family, which included Lucy.  
  
"You know what Vlad should do instead of wine? Or in addition to?" Lucy mused. "Horses. He should raise horses."  
  
Mina peeked in at Luka, then looked up at Lucy. "You know, that's a good idea. I don't think he'd be able to train horses, not for show. Too much attention there and he wants to keep a low profile. But if he just raised and sold them for the average horse person . . ."  
  
"I like the idea," Ingeras put in. "I love horses. And if we raised big draft horses, there wouldn't be a need for the show people to come around."  
  
Mina looped her arm through Lucy's. In a low voice, she said, "There are two men following us. They've been lurking outside the last three stores we were in."  
  
Ingeras pretended to drop one of his bags, and he looked for the men as he picked it up. "I see them. They're not very inconspicuous, are they?"  
  
"Not really," Mina murmured. "You're better at following than they are."  
  
"That's because I can vanish," her son pointed out.  
  
Lucy said, "They're probably thieves following the rich tourists."  
  
"Maybe. I say we curtail the shopping here and head back to the villa," Ingeras said. "See if they follow us there."  
  
"Do we want to lead them home, though?" Mina asked.  
  
"Don't worry. If they follow, I'll deal with them."  
  
Mina had no doubt that Lucy and Ingeras could handle two ordinary humans. Her concern was, as always, for Luka. He was stirring in his sling now, and Mina found her attention split between the baby and the men following them.  
  
Ingeras dropped back a few steps, letting Mina and Lucy walk side by side. His superior hearing told him that the men still followed.  
  
"I need a phone," he told Mina. "Like you have. I left the one I had in London when I abandoned _him_."  
  
"We'll get you one," she told him, turning briefly. "Are you more of an Apple person or an Android one?"  
  
"I have no idea what that means. I just used the phone I was given."  
  
"Oh, you poor thing," Lucy said, feigning pity. "How can you be _that_ technologically impaired?"  
  
"Even Vlad has an iPhone," Mina pointed out.  
  
They were approaching the villa now, and the men still followed. Ingeras let the women go first into the house, so that he entered last. He put the bags he'd brought in down and went to the window.  
  
The two men stood in an alcove across the street, not as readily visible to the human eye with night setting in. But to Ingeras, they were as clear as if they stood in daylight.  
  
"They followed," he said. "Father, there are some men outside who followed us through town. I think we should . . . go negotiate."  
  
Vlad looked up from the papers he was still working through. "Men? What men?"  
  
"Men. Followed us. Skulking around outside now. Shall we go talk to them?"  
  
His father stood up. "I think we shall."  
  
"Be careful," Mina warned. "And by that, I mean don't do anything that would get police attention."  
  
"Soul of discretion," Vlad said, and stepped outside with Ingeras.  
  
They returned a minute later dragging two unconscious men. Mina let out a huge sigh and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Kidnapping is one of those things that gets police attention," she pointed out to her husband.  
  
"Not this lot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an ID wallet. Flipping it open, he read, "'Vatican Security'. Now, why would the Vatican send security after you?"  
  
He and Ingeras tied the two men to chairs and waited for them to regain consciousness. It didn't take very long, as they hadn't been hit too hard. As soon as the men realised they'd been captured, they started tugging on their bonds.  
  
Vlad pulled up a third chair and sat on it backwards, studying the two men before him. "Ah, you're awake. Would one of you care to explain why you were following my wife around Rome?"  
  
The two men looked at each other in silence.  
  
"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Vlad said. "You'd probably prefer the easy way. Me, I have a fondness for the hard way."  
  
It was obvious that the two men weren't the hardened type, because the one on the left immediately blurted, "We were told to follow the woman. Follow only, and report what she did, where she went."  
  
The one on the right glared at him.  
  
"Why?" Vlad asked, his voice a deceptively calm purr.  
  
"I do not know," the man professed.  
  
Vlad stood, moving the chair out of the way, and crossed to him in a single long stride. "Rethink your answer," he advised. "I know you're lying."  
  
"She was asking questions! The questions got the attention of one of our . . . our superiors."  
  
Mina, with Luka unwrapped and nestled in her arms, moved to stand behind Vlad. "My book research got Vatican security following me? What's so special about it?"  
  
The one on the right finally spoke. "Because of _what_ you were researching, _signora_."  
  
"Carpathian monks?" Mine pretended bewilderment. "I don't understand."  
  
"Not the monks," the first one said in exasperation. "The Order of the Dragon."  
  
"Shut up, Franco!" the second man snapped.  
  
Mina looked at them in surprise. "I was asking because I have a section in my book about Vlad the Impaler, and his father was in the Order. Isn't it defunct now? There hasn't been an Order for centuries."  
  
Goon #2 snorted.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me there _is_ an Order?"  
  
Neither man spoke.  
  
"You know, for potential spies," Ingeras put in, "they're less competent than Austin Powers. They've already given us a bunch of information."  
  
The men looked at each other, glaring as if blaming the other.  
  
"They know nothing about intrigue, apparently, if they sent Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dumber to follow you," Lucy drawled.  
  
"Look," Mina said, "I'm just doing research for a book. I probably could have done the research in Bucharest, but I figured, as long as I'm in Rome _on vacation_ , I could pop in to the Vatican and talk to someone there. I don't know what's so alarming about my research. My book's about a bunch of crazy, long-dead monks."  
  
The men exchanged looks again.  
  
"What?" Mina patted Luka's back, bouncing him a little. "That look said that either they weren't crazy, or they aren't long-dead."  
  
Franco's brow furrowed in confusion. "What? No, the monks are very much dead."  
  
"So they weren't crazy?"  
  
"Dammit, Franco," Goon #2 muttered.  
  
Vlad turned to look at Mina, as if to ask how she was getting them to talk. She just shrugged.  
  
"I say we stick pins under their nails until they talk, and then we kill them," Ingeras suggested.  
  
Mina shot him a look. He just grinned. She rolled her eyes.  
  
Vlad drew the men's attention back to himself. "What did my wife find in her research that the Vatican doesn't want to get out? Tell us and we won't include it in the book."  
  
"Just like that?" Franco asked.  
  
"Just like that. We don't want to step on any toes," Vlad assured him.  
  
Given that Mina wasn't writing a book, that wasn't a difficult promise to make.  
  
Ignoring Goon #2's continued glares, Franco said, "The Order is concerned about its reputation. With this supposed connection to vampires. They don't want to be associated."  
  
Ingeras snickered. "Vampires aren't real, dipshit." He turned to Lucy and said, "Someone's been reading too much 'Twilight'."  
  
"You know nothing!" Franco exclaimed.  
  
"Franco, SHUT UP!" Goon #2 yelled.  
  
Luka, alarmed by the shouting, began to cry. Mina tried to soothe him and glared at the men.  
  
"Now look what you've done!" she scolded.  
  
Franco looked chastened. His associate did not.  
  
"How did you capture us, anyway?" Franco asked. "We did not see you coming."  
  
"I was in the Romanian armed forces," Vlad said easily.  
  
That was one way to put it.  
  
Mina took the baby off into her bedroom. With her gone, Vlad was less restrained.  
  
"Let's talk about your superiors. Who are they? You might as well tell me. You've spilled enough secrets that you're going to be in very, very big trouble. And believe me, you don't want to tell me no."  
  
Franco licked his lips, seeing something in Vlad's eyes that scared him. "The- the Order sent us."  
  
"You said that. So the Order of the Dragon has turned from protecting Christianity from Islam, and is now . . . following school teachers researching fictional vampires?"  
  
Goon #2 shifted in his chair. At last, he spoke. "They are . . . jumpy, I suppose you say? So many people visiting Rome looking for vampires because of those books. Since one of their members, centuries ago, is rumoured to be a vampire, they do not want the connection."  
  
"Hmm." Vlad leaned forward, looking the man in the eye. "Why is it _so_ important to them that they not have this connection?"  
  
"Because they hunt the demons!" the man spat. "They do not harbour them!"  
  
Vlad snorted softly. "I see. So my wife stumbled across a secret sect of vampire hunters working within the Vatican, and you were supposed to . . . keep an eye on her? You realise no one is going to believe this, even if she _did_ tell someone or write it into her book."  
  
"That does not matter to them."  
  
"Obviously. And you really, truly think vampires are real, do you?"  
  
Reluctantly, both men nodded.  
  
"Have you ever _seen_ one?"  
  
". . . No," Franco admitted.  
  
Vlad shook his head. "This is ridiculous. Tell your superiors that Mina agrees not to put more than a cursory mention of the Order in her book. She can't skip over it if a third of the book is about Dracula, but anything modern, we won't breathe a word of."  
  
Both men nodded.  
  
"But also, tell them that if they bring any harm to her, based on this idiotic belief in vampires, I will rain hell down on them."  
  
Again, frantic nods.  
  
"You're just letting them go?" Ingeras demanded. "In the old days-"  
  
"This isn't the old days," Vlad pointed out. "Untie them, let them go."  
  
With obvious frustration, Ingeras did as instructed. Once let out the front door, the men ran.  
  
"Why did you let them go?" his son demanded.  
  
"They'll be dead before morning, anyway," Vlad said. "If the Order has turned from protecting Christian countries from Islam--which doesn't surprise me, given the state of things these days--and turned to hunting vampires, they won't hesitate to kill two useless underlings."  
  
"We could have gotten more information from them."  
  
"Perhaps. I doubt it."  
  
Lucy shook her head. "I don't get how you were able to make them spill everything so easily."  
  
He turned the same look he'd given Franco on her, and she visibly paled.  
  
"Oh," she said. "That would be how."  
  
"Prey knows a predator when they see one," Vlad said softly. "And I have been a predator for a very long time."  
  
He excused himself and went to check on Mina and the baby. Lucy looked at Ingeras, and he shrugged.  
  
"He's my father, and I love him, but . . ." Ingeras paused. "I'll admit one thing: he's a scary son of a bitch."  
  



	17. Chapter 17

**\--Chapter Seventeen--**  
  
With the morning came the morning edition of the paper, including an article about an attempt on the life of the Pope, that ended with the assailant shooting two security guards and escaping.  
  
The pictures included were the two men they'd interrogated.  
  
Vlad tossed the paper on the table in the dining room of the villa. "What did I say? Killed by their own people."  
  
"That's unfortunate," Mina said. "But if they'd left well enough alone . . ."  
  
"This kind never leaves well enough alone." Vlad fingered the medallion he held in his hand, a very, very old symbol his father had carried before his death. "I expect they'll send more competent and better trained lackeys this time."  
  
"We don't have time for this," his wife said. "We need to get on with getting rid of the master."  
  
Ingeras, ready to head to bed, yawned. "Have we decided if he's Caligula or not?"  
  
"We have no proof either way, but I suspect he is," Mina said. "What other insane person would have a connection to Roman mystics and go seeking power?"  
  
"I'm sure there were plenty," Vlad said, "but for the sake of convenience, I'm willing to call him Caligula. Calling him 'master' of anything has never sat well with me."  
  
Ingeras pulled a face. "Just imagine actually having to call him Master. Five hundred years of it. So many times, I wanted to take a hammer to his face."  
  
"Why did you stay with him so long?" Lucy asked.  
  
"I had nothing else," he said. "And nowhere to go. He was the one person who knew what it was to be what I was, so I guess I let him treat me the way he did out of . . . loneliness."  
  
He brightened. "But then I saw Mina in London, and Father, and realised that I wasn't as alone as I'd thought."  
  
"And you never will be again," Vlad assured him.  
  
The vampires retired to bed, and Mina was left to her own devices. With no desire to expose herself to the possibility of more Vatican thugs, she booted up her laptop and started writing. She'd said there wasn't a book, but with nothing else to do except tend the baby, she thought she might as well actually start one.  
  
Writing about Vlad proved more difficult than she'd thought, because she knew things about him that no amount of research could explain, and she had to carefully filter out her personal life from her summary of his reign.  
  
"'An unknown Transylvanian noblewoman'," she muttered to herself as she wrote sparingly about Vlad's marriage. She wondered vaguely if, in an alternate reality where Vlad didn't become a vampire, her husband had remarried. Mina knew it was ridiculous to be jealous of a woman who didn't exist, but she hated the idea of Vlad being with anyone but her. Knowing he'd been with others through the centuries, just for a night or two of comfort, was bad enough. Imagining him actually _marrying_ someone else was supremely irritating.  
  
And how, she wondered, does he feel about Jon?  
  
If Vlad felt jealous over her dead fiance, he never showed it. But then, Jon _was_ dead, as opposed to the husband she was presently writing about in the past tense.  
  
"'Died in April of 1464-' Except he's presently napping with the baby. Hmm. 'Wounds sustained in battle with Turks . . .' This is such bullshit," she sighed.  
  
"What is?"  
  
She jumped at the sound of Ingeras's voice. "Oh, you startled me! What are you doing awake?"  
  
"I don't sleep much," her son told her. "Developed a habit of it when _he_ needed daytime protection. Which basically meant that I sat around and read while he slept."  
  
Mina shook her head. "You should go sleep while you can."  
  
"I'm fine. I'll nap later. What are you writing?"  
  
"I figured, as long as I've given this cover of writing a book, that I might as well actually _do_ it. Right now I'm writing this absolute rubbish about how your father died in battle with the Turks after saving Romania from Mehmed. And because no historians know anything about Mirena, I've had to completely excise myself from his history, aside from 'His wife is presumed to be an unknown Transylvanian noblewoman, though nothing is known about her save for legends that claim she fell to her death in grief after learning of her husband's demise on the battlefield.'"  
  
Ingeras snorted. "That's a load of shit, alright. First of all, you died first."  
  
"Yes, I'm very aware of that."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's fine. I just don't like thinking about it."  
  
Mina picked up the medallion that Vlad had left on the table where her laptop was set up. On the front, it had an image of a dragon wrapped around a cross and Latin text denoting it as "Order Of The Dragon". On the back, it was inscribed to one "Vlad II Dracul".  
  
"Vlad was never officially in the Order of the Dragon," she told Ingeras. "The thing keeping him from it was that he owed the sultan tribute, or so the Ottomans thought. And there were others who had essentially written off Romania--Wallachia, Transylvania, and Moldavia at the time--because they were difficult to reach and the Ottomans had a much larger army. Vlad was literally the only thing keeping Christianity in that area."  
  
"I did what I could," Ingeras told her, "to follow in his footsteps, but I was so young, I . . . mostly did what my advisors told me."  
  
She studied the man her child had become. "And lost the throne to Radu's illegitimate son. I know."  
  
"At least Radu never had the throne!" Ingeras said cheerfully. "And his son only had it for five years, before the Basarabs got it again. Father and I each had it for ten."  
  
"That's something, at least."  
  
Ingeras stared off into the distance, thinking. "It's funny, seeing on the news all these people claiming Islam is the religion of peace. I know the Christians did horrific things during the Crusades. And the Musselmen, as they were known back then, they did horrific things right back. But I saw first-hand the Ottomans' invasion, and I can't fathom . . ."  
  
"The extreme ones are the ones causing problems," Mina told her son. "But when the loudest voices are the most violent, it paints all with the same brush. No matter the religion."  
  
"I know that. I know. I just can't help my personal experiences colouring my view."  
  
She nodded. "I know. And I'm not going to say that you aren't entitled to your feelings, because you certainly are. I mean, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire kidnapped you, essentially had me killed, and tried to kill your father."  
  
"Anyway, I can't help but think that if the Order had stayed focused on its original duty . . . I don't know." Ingeras gave himself a shake. "But really, they shifted to vampite hunting? _Why_?"  
  
"Probably because of your father. And because Caligula can't seem to stop himself from creating others."  
  
"Well, he _is_ a sadistic psychopath."  
  
Mina saved the document she was working on and closed the laptop. She rubbed her temples. "I don't want to have to fight two fronts. We have Caligula on one, and the Vatican on the other, apparently."  
  
"But we did find the book."  
  
"Yes, so this trip was good. Except for some lunatics who will chase us if they find out what you three are."  
  
"I think Father can handle them," Ingeras said. "Do you remember that day when he killed those Turks that were going to take me away?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That was nothing compared to how he fought Mehmed."  
  
Mina nodded. "I know he's a skilled fighter. What concerns me is that they'll be loaded for vampire. Stakes, crossbows, silver bullets. All things that can hurt you. And there's nothing _I_ can do to help."  
  
"Father and I could teach you to fight. Lucy, too. In fact, why hasn't he?"  
  
". . . Because I was pregnant for most of the time we've known each other."  
  
Ingeras blinked. "How long _have_ you known each other? I mean, this time around?"  
  
"Um. Since April?" Mina blushed. "It's been a bit whirlwind."  
  
"I'll say! So I'm guessing Luka was a surprise and you . . .?"  
  
"Basically."  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"You were born nine months after your father and I married the first time. Almost to the day.  
  
"You two don't waste any time, do you?"  
  
"The only time wasted was when I kept turning him down. As Mirena. First I wouldn't let him court me, then when he proposed, I told him no."  
  
Her son laughed. "I can't imagine you saying no."  
  
"I was afraid of the very thing that happened: the Turks tried to take you. Of course, at the time, I had no idea that Vlad was willing to start a war to keep you with us."  
  
"Not intentionally," Vlad said as he came in. "I'd do a few things differently if I had to do it again, but I'd still choose to keep you."  
  
He came in and pulled up a chair at the table. "I find I can't sleep. Worrying too much about our new potential enemy."  
  
"We were just discussing that," Ingeras told him. "And I think we should teach Mama how to fight."  
  
"When we get back to Romania," Vlad agreed. "I think we should all go to dinner tonight, out in public, and make sure we're seen eating."  
  
"I think that's a good idea," Mina said. "After all, everyone knows vampires don't eat food."  
  
He smiled wryly.  
  
Ingeras frowned. "You eat food?"  
  
Vlad arched a brow at his son. "You didn't know you could?"  
  
The younger Dracula shook his head. "No. I've only had blood since I turned. Or the occasional wine."  
  
"It doesn't provide any nourishment, and the body just sort of . . . absorbs it. I'm not certain how it works. But yes. On occasion, I eat food still."  
  
"Huh. There are so many things I want to try now!" Ingeras looked thrilled. "Can we get pizza? I want to try pizza."  
  
Mina laughed. "Yes, we can certainly get pizza."  
  


* * *

 

  
Lucy, when she woke, was all for the idea. So as night fell, the four of them and the baby went out to dine. Vlad had looked up restaurants online and chose a decent family establishment that would let them have Luka there.  
  
"We're being watched again," Ingeras murmured as they sat down at their table. Vlad had specifically asked for a window seat, and bribed well enough that they had one.  
  
"Yes, they've been following since we left the villa," Vlad said, in Romanian. "The point is to be seen tonight."  
  
"I still don't understand nearly enough, even with my memories sorted out," Mina said.  
  
"Understand what?" Ingeras asked.  
  
"Romanian. I have some conversational stuff, but I'm at the level of a first year student. What's odd is all of my memories, that _should_ be in Romanian? They're effectively in English. I think my subconscious translated it all."  
  
"That _is_ odd," Lucy said. "Has Vlad been helping you at all?"  
  
"No," Mina said, and narrowed her eyes at her husband. " _Still_."  
  
"I will, I will. We haven't had a lot of time lately for lessons."  
  
That was true. With everything with the baby, and then Caligula and Ingeras, they'd been busy.  
  
When the waiter came to their table, Vlad ordered in fluent Italian: pizza for Ingeras, fettucine alfredo with chicken for Mina, shrimp scampi for Lucy, and spaghetti margherita for himself. He also ordered a bottle of red for the table.  
  
"Papa is a show-off, isn't he?" Mina cooed to Luka, which got a big laugh out of Ingeras, and a grin out of the baby. "Yes, he is!"  
  
"How big is he now?" Lucy asked Mina.  
  
"Almost five pounds. He's gaining weight a little slower now that he isn't on the IV."  
  
They'd brought his basket along, and it sat between his parents on a fifth chair. No less than three waitresses came by just to admire him.  
  
Vlad reached down and lightly tickled Luka's stomach. At first, the baby looked confused, and then he made a sound somewhere between a hiccup and a squeal.  
  
"Was that a laugh?" Mina asked the baby. "Or was that a 'Papa, don't do that'?"  
  
"Eh!" Luka said, and scrunched his face.  
  
"I think that was a 'don't do that'," Vlad said with amusement.  
  
Luka flailed a fist at Mina and she gave him a finger to grip. He immediately tried to put it in his mouth.  
  
"Oh, I think someone's hungry. Am I allowed to feed him here?"  
  
Vlad flagged down one of the servers and asked. They nodded and said something in Italian. Vlad told Mina, "As long as you keep covered, yes."  
  
"No, I was planning on ripping my shirt off." She rolled her eyes.  
  
Lucy grinned. " _I_ might do that, but you? Never."  
  
Their food arrived, and Mina ate one-handed, discretely nursing the baby under a blanket. The whole time they dined, the men from the Vatican kept watch outside.


	18. Chapter 18

**\--Chapter Eighteen--**  
  
Mina went back to the library the next day, to have another look at the book. She was greeted warmly by Father Angelo, who took her straight to the room where the volume was kept.  
  
There was just one problem: the book was gone.  
  
"I do not understand," the priest said. "It should be here. Materials cannot be taken from this room, and you see we are the only ones here."  
  
With a sinking feeling, Mina realised what had happened to the book: the Order.  
  
"It's alright," she sighed. "I just wanted to get a better picture of that one page. But if it's been moved, I suppose I can do without."  
  
"No, no. I must find this book."  
  
Mina caught the priest's arm. "No, Father," she said urgently, in a hushed voice. "Let it be. Vatican security has been following me for the last two days, since I looked at that book. I don't want anything to happen to you if you go looking for it."  
  
He blinked brown eyes from behind thick spectacles. "That is unusual."  
  
"I appreciate you too much to not warn you," she whispered. "Something strange is going on, and I don't want you hurt."  
  
Louder, she said, "Thank you, Father, but I think my research here is done. I have a few Eastern Orthodox contacts I need to consult now."  
  
He saw her to the door, where she bid him goodbye, then pressed a business card into his hand.  
  
"If you need anything, Father, please call."  
  
"I don't imagine I will need anything, but I will keep this, just in case."  
  
Mina left the priest staring after her, the card clutched in his hand.  
  


* * *

 

  
Back at the villa, she reported to the others that the book was gone.  
  
"The Order," Vlad spat. "They've taken it to try and bury themselves again."  
  
"I don't entirely blame them, but it's a bit like closing the barn door after the cattle are out," his wife said. "I don't think they really expected anyone to know of Lucien's order, let alone come looking for information."  
  
"Obviously not, or their goons would be better trained." Vlad ran a hand through his hair. Mina's fingers itched to do the same. "With the book gone, we have no more reason to stay. We have copies of its relevant pages, as far as we can tell, so our work here is done."  
  
"What next? Go back to Romania?" Mina sank down on the sofa with Luka in her arms. She settled him on his tummy on the floor by her feet, cushioned by the warm fleece blanket she'd made him. This gave him some freedom to move his head around, which would strengthen his neck muscles.  
  
"That would probably be best. We can consult some of the monasteries there." Vlad rubbed his chin. "I'd like to find that silver sword Lucien had."  
  
"The one he tried to kill you with, before the peasants tried to set you on fire?" she asked wryly.  
  
"That would be the one."  
  
"Who tried to set you on fire?" Lucy asked from her bedroom door. "Did I miss something?"  
  
"No, we're discussing the past. The distant past," Mina told her. "Father Lucien exposed Vlad as a vampire to our people, and they tried to burn him."  
  
". . . Fun. Wait. They tried to burn Vlad, or the priest?"  
  
"Me," Vlad said, though he smirked at the question. "Lucien only thought he was saving my immortal soul."  
  
"Yes, him I can excuse. The others, who tried to kill you by burning you alive? Not so much." Mina shook her head. "I still want to talk to some Eastern Orthodox priests when we get back to Romania. Partially to give my research credence, and partially to see if they know anything about Lucien's order."  
  
"Why? We got what we came for here, and it got us nowhere," Lucy said.  
  
"Because now I'm caught up in doing actual research and I feel . . . Maybe we'll get somewhere if I keep at this. Lucien's order knew more about vampires than they wrote down. Maybe some of it got passed down to other monks."  
  
She paused. "Besides, it's pissing off the Order of the Dragon and I feel rather happy about that."  
  
Vlad laughed. "We have little else to go on, so why not?"  
  


* * *

 

  
Mina's mobile phone rang in the middle of dinner. She stared at it, wondering who would be calling her. Then she thought, Father Angelo.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Signora Murray?" It was, indeed, the priest, and he spoke in a low voice.  
  
"Yes, this is she."  
  
"You said to call you if I need . . . I need assistance, but I do not see how you can provide. There are men outside, and I do not like the look of them. They want to speak to me."  
  
She looked at Vlad. "Where are you?"  
  
He gave her an address.  
  
"Stay there. My husband is coming to get you."  
  
"How will I know him?" Father Angelo asked.  
  
"Believe me, you'll know him when you see him." She turned to her husband. "Father Angelo is in trouble."  
  
"I'll go," he said with a nod, and she told him the address.  
  
"Stay on the line with me. He's coming."  
  
Vlad took off through the courtyard of the villa, flying off into the night. Mina talked to the priest about how her book was coming to keep him calm.  
  
It was only a few minutes before she heard a commotion on the other end of the line, and then Father Angelo exclaimed, "Mio Dio!"  
  
"Vlad's there," she said to the others, unable to help a slight smile.  
  
Vlad's voice came on the line. "I've got the priest. The threat is . . . dealt with. I'm bringing him to safety."  
  
He hung up, and Mina did the same.  
  
When Vlad came in with Father Angelo five minutes later, the priest was unconscious.  
  
"He passed out when I killed the Vatican men," Vlad explained, as he laid the man out on the sofa. "He should wake soon."  
  
He did. He sat up slowly, looking around the room with caution. Then he saw Vlad. Father Angelo stared, wide-eyed. "You are a vampire," he stated.  
  
Vlad sketched a brief bow. "I am," he said.  
  
Mina poked him. "Tell him who you are," she said excitedly. "Tell him."  
  
Her husband gave her a look.  
  
"Really," she said. "He's in deep and might as well know why."  
  
Vlad sighed. Turning to the priest, he said, "I am Vladislaus Draculea."  
  
Father Angelo blinked at him stupidly, then grinned. "You are Vlad the Impaler?"  
  
"I prefer Dracula," Vlad told him. "But yes."  
  
"But this is amazing!" The priest looked at Mina. "No wonder you write about him! You are married, yes?"  
  
She nodded. "And we have . . . technically we have two sons. That's a very long story.  
  
"So these men who came to me tonight, they know that you are a vampire?"  
  
Vlad shrugged. "As far as we're aware, no. But they hunt vampires. I'm afraid that Mina's research provoked the Order of the Dragon, and because you helped her, you landed on their list of targets."  
  
The priest was baffled. "But how? All I did was find her a book."  
  
"That book, which is now missing, is the problem."  
  
Mina told him of the book's contents, and of Caligula, and how he had turned Vlad, Lucy, and Ingeras, and now he wanted Vlad as his pawn.  
  
"So, basically, we're looking for a way to destroy him. But we're not about to point the Order at him and say 'Kill'. They're unprepared for his level of vampire," she concluded.  
  
Father Angelo mulled that over. "Fascinating. I suppose they intended to kill me tonight?"  
  
"Most likely," Vlad told him.  
  
"So you saved my life." Father Angelo regarded Vlad with intense scrutiny. "History says you are a monster, and yet you saved me."  
  
"History says a lot of things," Vlad said, and Father Angelo nodded. "I will admit I have done terrible things in the protection of my people, but I am not the monster the legends make me out to be. . . . Mostly."  
  
Mina patted his arm. "Yes, you're a big, scary vampire."  
  
Dark green eyes cut her way, and she grinned.  
  
Father Angelo laughed. "One of history's most reprehensible tyrants, according to books, and yet you tease him."  
  
"We've been married a long time," Mina said. "Sort of."  
  
Ingeras said, "I'm their son."  
  
That made Father Angelo stare in confusion. He looked at Mina with a frown. "But you are not a vampire?"  
  
"No. I died and was reincarnated," she explained. "So Vlad and I have been married twice. I said it was a long story."  
  
"Reincarnated," the priest repeated with wonder. "Truly?"  
  
Mina nodded. "With almost complete access to my previous life's memories. I was married to Vlad as Mirena Silivasi, later Drăculești."  
  
"Fascinating. So you, Vlad, really did not impale a thousand people and then dine among the corpses?" Father Angelo asked.  
  
"The only time I impaled a thousand corpses outside the castle was when Turks tried to take it down with cannons. After I defeated them, I had my men impale the enemy to taunt the Sultan. And then we evacuated the castle." Vlad glanced at Mina. "My wife would have _never_ put up with my displaying criminals like that."  
  
Mina made a face. "You're right. The first time you did it, I'd have smacked you upside the head. While I'd imagine it would be a great crime deterent, I also wouldn't want our children to have seen that. Ugh."  
  
"That didn't keep me from seeing the forest of Turks," Ingeras pointed out.  
  
"Once is one thing. Living in a constant field of the dead? No." Mina shook her head.   
  
Vlad said, "I did a lot of things when I was a prisoner of the Turks. I admit that. But I did *not* do such things to my own people."  
  
Mina coughed into her hand.  
  
". . . Aside from the time I locked the people responsible for killing my brother in a building and burned them to death." Vlad avoided looking at Mina. "Somehow, that got confused with my supposedly killing the infirm that way. But *most* of the stories about me are false."  
  
Father Angelo stood. Mina hadn't really considered his age, but he was only about forty, maybe forty-five, his brown hair starting to grey. He walked to the windows and looked out at the night. It was raining again.  
  
"They will concoct some story about me, to discredit me. I saw the false story about the attempt on the Pope," he said quietly. "I know they were after you, signora. But who killed them, I wonder?"  
  
"The Order of the Dragon," Vlad said, "has become twisted. They're more interested in protecting their interests than they are in their original mission."  
  
"And they would have killed me. Since they could not, I must still be eliminated somehow." Father Angelo looked sad. "I will be defrocked for some grievous crime I did not commit, simply to get rid of me."  
  
He was a smart one, Mina realised. "I'm sorry," she said. "If I hadn't come looking for the book . . ."  
  
"You needed the book," he told her. "Your need is greater than any I could have. For you are looking to destroy a monster. That . . . is something I will gladly give up my vocation for."  
  
"Are you joining us?" Lucy asked him.  
  
He shrugged. "I might as well, yes? If I am to lose that which I love, I might as well sacrifice it to save as many as I can."  
  
Vlad placed his hand on Angelo's shoulder. "You are a wonder, Father. And you will always have a place with us if you need it."  
  
Father Angelo nodded. "Thank you, my lord."  
  
"Please. Call me Vlad."


	19. Chapter 19

**\--Chapter Nineteen--**  
  
They kept Father Angelo hidden for the next two days. On the third, news broke that he had supposedly molested a young child and had been stripped of his priesthood because of it.  
  
"See?" he said dejectedly, pointing at the newspaper. Mina couldn't read it because it was in Italian. "I have lost all."  
  
"You have your life. That's better than nothing."  
  
"Yes. But I loved what I did."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
He looked up and smiled wanly "I suppose as long as I know the truth, that will be enough. Perhaps I am meant for other things now."  
  
Mina smiled back. "I'm probably not going to return to teaching. Not with Luka to care for."  
  
The priest looked to where Luka slept in his basket. "He is a beautiful child. So small, though."  
  
"Thank you. I fell when I was six months pregnant, and as a result, had him early. But he's getting bigger."  
  
"And he suffers no ill effects, from . . . being half vampire?"  
  
"Not that we've seen. He's strong for his age and for being premature. But there's nothing odd about him."  
  
"I meant no offense."  
  
"Oh, none taken! I wonder the same all the time. As far as we can tell, he's just a pretty normal baby." She smiled down at her son, momentarily overwhelmed with love.  
  
Angelo moved to stand beside her, regarding Luka. "He is a special child," he said. "I think he will do great things."  
  
"I just wish I'd been able to name him Luka Dracula, instead of Luka Nicolae. But Vlad is going by the name Nicolae these days. I could have taken it, but it didn't feel right. Neither did naming my son Luka Murray."  
  
"Nikolai is your husband's second given name, no?"  
  
"Yes, and Ingeras's, as well. The only difference, really, is spelling. The surname is 'ae', not 'ai'."  
  
"Then it is not so odd to name him Nicholae." The priest pulled a small flask from his pocket. "Bring your husband, signora."  
  
Curious as to what the priest--defrocked or not, he was still a priest in her mind--and went to wake Vlad. Confused and sleepy, he shuffled into the living room with Mina.  
  
"I have lost my official Church backing, but I think you will not mind?" Angelo held up the flask and poured a little into his palm.  
  
Vlad, being Catholic, realised what Angelo intended first. "Certainly, Father. Mina, pick up the baby."  
  
Angelo dipped his finger into the liquid in his palm, and drew a cross on Luka's forehead. "I baptise thee Luka Nicholae Dracula, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen."  
  
He sprinkled the rest of the holy water over the baby. Luka woke at this and let out a wail of indignation. Mina laughed and kissed the top of his head.  
  
"We need to get out of Rome," Vlad said. "I'll hire a plane. I think it would be best if you came with us to Romania, Father."  
  
"You may call me Angelo now. I am no longer a priest."  
  
"Angelo, then. We have plenty of room at the manor. You can stay with us until this is over, and then you can figure out what you intend to do."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Mina went to wake the others so they could pack.

 

* * *

 

  
  
The plane they were able to get didn't have room for Vlad's car, so he opted to drive while the others flew. Mina didn't like the thought of him driving through Italy alone, but there was little else they could do.  
  
Back in Bucharest, Mina hired a car take them to Târgoviște. She'd flown with the carseat, leaving Luka's basket with Vlad in the BMW.  
  
"You really need your own car," Lucy said.  
  
"I do. I just need to pick one. I'm thinking about a Mini, possibly in blue. That or a Dacia. I haven't decided."  
  
It was quite a change from Rome, because a week before Christmas, Romania was blanketed in snow and more was coming down. The car dropped them off at the manor, unloaded their luggage, and drove away.  
  
"Welcome," Mina said, "to Castle Dracula 2.0."  
  
She led the others into the house, and found a room for Angelo. He didn't have a whole lot, not having acquired much while in service to the Church. Mostly, he had books. Since he'd never worn anything besides a cassock, they'd had to buy him a few changes of clothes. At first, he'd balked, but Mina explained that it was their fault he was in this position, and it was the least they could do for him.  
  
Mina was glad to be home. She got Luka settled into the nursery, and took a nap on the daybed there. She couldn't sleep without Vlad in their bed.  
  
When she rose from her nap, she informed Sveta of their new houseguest. The housekeeper was thrilled to have another human besides Mina to cook for, and she made the appropriate noises when informed that he was a victim of the Order of the Dragon and had lost his vocation. Sveta, whose family had been serving Vlad's for generations, was Eastern Orthodox, but still appreciated the unfairness of Angelo's treatment.  
  
"He will be welcome here if Master Vlad says he is worthy," Iulia put in.  
  
" _I_ say he is, Iulia," Mina reminded her gently.  
  
"Yes, Mistress Mina. I meant no offense."  
  
"And there is none taken," Mina lied.  
  
The girl left to do some chores. Sveta turned to her employer.  
  
"I apologise for the girl. She is young. Her attentions will go elsewhere in time."  
  
"I'm sure they will."  
  


* * *

 

  
Vlad called from Venice to say that he'd been tailed by the Vatican and wanted to eliminate the threat so he wouldn't lead them to the house. He would, he said, be spending the night there before finishing the journey to Romania.  
  
Mina slept fitfully in the nursery with Luka. Worry for Vlad made it difficult to truly rest. Near dawn, she gave up and wandered down to the kitchen for some coffee.  
  
She found Angelo already there, with a fresh pot made.  
  
"I hope you don't mind that I helped myself," he said.  
  
"No, no. Go right ahead. Our home is your home for the time being."  
  
"You're awfully accepting," he said after a moment.  
  
Mina took a sip of her coffee and decided it needed a little more sugar. "Part of me is used to running a castle with hundreds of people running around."  
  
"Do you find these . . . double memories trouble you?"  
  
"They used to," she said. "But they don't anymore. It's really difficult to explain what it's like. When they first came to me, it was so overwhelming. But now, they're just . . . mine."  
  
"Did you marry your husband before or after these memories came to you?"  
  
"Before. I didn't marry him because we were married before, if that's what you're asking. I love him as Mina, not just as Mirena."  
  
Angelo shook his head. "No, please, do not mistake me. I merely wondered if your being together brought the memories."  
  
"Sort of." She explained about Abraham Van Helsing hypnotizing her to release her memories, and then abandoning her to sort trough the mess on her own. She didn't mention that he'd attempted to kill Vlad, or that she'd killed _him_. Funny to think that had been two weeks before.  
  
"I try not to speak ill of my fellow children of God, but what a repellant person," Angelo commented.  
  
"Fortunately, we haven't seen him since," Mina lied. "I don't know what I'd do if I did run into him again."  
  
The second statement was fact. If Van Helsing _did_ show up again, she'd probably start screaming.  
  
"Any man who claims to dedicate himself to preserving humanity should not be so callous with its members," Angelo sighed. "I am sorry you suffered so."  
  
"I'm alright now. My head is sorted."  
  
She offered him more coffee, and he accepted. As she poured, she asked, "So what are you going to do now?"  
  
"I do not know. Following God was always my dream. Now . . ."  
  
Mina shook her head. "It's such a shame that they chose that way to go about things. They've made it so no one will trust you. Except us, of course."  
  
"I know. I thought I could teach, but no. No one will want a reputed child molester in their midst."  
  
Frowning, Mina said, "Maybe . . . I don't know. I'm sure something will come to us. But you really are welcome here as long as you need."  
  
The kitten came running in. Mina scooped her up, delighted to see her little cuddle buddy.  
  
"Did you miss Mummy while I was away?" she asked Boots, and the kitten licked her face.  
  
"What a cute cat!" Angelo beamed. "May I?"  
  
Mina handed Boots over, and the kitten sniffed the man's face thoroughly. "We rescued her in England. Our housekeeper looks after her when we have to be away. Boots thinks Vlad is her plaything. She's always chewing on him."  
  
"Brave cat," Angelo remarked, and Mina laughed.  
  
"It was Vlad that rescued her. She secretly adores him. Follows him all over the house."  
  
"I always wanted a cat, growing up," Angelo said, as he petted the kitten. "But my parents wouldn't let me. And then, of course, I studied to be a priest, and haven't been able to have one."  
  
"We adopted her the same night I had Luka, so they're growing up together. I frequently find her in his basket, snuggled up with him." Mina smiled at the kitten.  
  
Boots decided she'd had enough cuddling and jumped down from Angelo's arms. After a cursory swipe at Mina's feet, she dashed out of the room with her tail high.  
  
Angelo looked after her, with a revelatory expression. "I could get a cat," he said.  
  
"You could, definitely."  
  
Mina eyed the snow outside the window and sighed. "I wish we were closer to figuring out how to defeat Caligula. But aside from knowing, or assuming, who he is, we're basically no closer than we were when we went to Rome."  
  
"May I have a look at the pictures you took?" Angelo asked. "I find myself wishing to be useful."  
  
"Sure."  
  
Mina led him to the dining room, where she had spread out the printouts. "We're having some trouble with this page, since it's so faded. Vlad's got about half of it, but we can't make out the top half of the page."  
  
Angelo adjusted his glasses on his nose. "I can give it a try, if you would like."  
  
"Knock yourself out. I only have rudimentary Latin, and that was what Mirena had for reading a hymn book."  
  
He glanced at her again. "Fascinating. You really must tell me more, later."  
  
Upstairs, Luka began crying. Mina said, "I will. For now, duty calls."


	20. Chapter 20

**\--Chapter Twenty--**  
  
Vlad arrived late that afternoon. It was snowing heavily, the world outside dark and grey. Mina threw herself into his arms when he walked in the door.  
  
"You're home!" she exclaimed. "I was so worried."  
  
He embraced her for a long time, just breathing in the scent of her. "I'm alright. They were armed, but for humans. I'm afraid they'll soon know what I am, what Ingeras and Lucy are."  
  
"But they couldn't follow you here, right?"  
  
"I hope not." He kissed her forehead, then her mouth. "You never gave them my name, did you?"  
  
She shook her head. "Only mine."  
  
Angelo came in from the dining room, holding a sheaf of papers. "Ah. You arrive just in time. I think I have found your answer."  
  
"Really?" Vlad was very interested. And tired. But sleep could wait if Angelo had the answers he sought. "What did you find?"  
  
"This is very difficult to make out, but I believe it says that a weapon of pure silver may be able to kill him."  
  
Mina looked up at Vlad. "The sword we were talking about. Lucien's silver sword."  
  
"Or I could just have one made," Vlad pointed out.  
  
Angelo shook his head. "It must be a holy weapon. Who is Lucien?"  
  
"Lucien was one of the Eastern Orthodox monks Mina was researching. He owned the book that the Order stole from the library." Vlad hugged Mina closer. "If we could find the sword he had . . ."  
  
"You didn't see it at the monastery," Mina said. "He would have brought it back to the castle, but that's gone, too."  
  
"Go wake Ingeras. See if he knows where the sword went."  
  
She nodded and left. Vlad eyed the former priest. "What's the difference between a silver sword and a holy silver sword?"  
  
Angelo shrugged. "It only says a weapon of holy silver may slay the beast."  
  
Ingeras shuffled in, following Mina. He scratched a hand through his sandy brown hair. "What's up?" he asked.  
  
Vlad turned to his son. "The monks at Cozia had a sword made of silver. Do you have any idea what happened to it?"  
  
The younger Dracula blinked sleepily. "Um. I don't know. I think it was at the castle."  
  
"Which is gone now," Vlad pointed out.  
  
"Yeah." Ingeras frowned. "I can't think of where it would be now. You're asking about something I last saw five hundred years ago."  
  
His father sighed. "I thought it was a long shot."  
  
"We found the book," Mina told him. "That was against the odds."  
  
"Can we really hope that will happen a second time, though?"  
  
Angelo said, "If you are meant to defeat this monster, then I believe it will happen somehow."  
  
"But are we meant to?" Vlad asked him. "Or am I meant to be his pawn? Is it my destiny to serve him? I told him I would prove him wrong, and yet I did not. I became a vampire and set him free, just as he said I would."  
  
Mina laid her hand on his arm. "You can't assume that just because part of what he said came true that the rest of it will. A lot has happened that he didn't see coming."  
  
"Like what?" Angelo asked.  
  
"He didn't see my temporarily turning into a vampire."  
  
The former priest goggled. "You did what?"  
  
Vlad explained, "After you drink the blood of a vampire, you change into one, but only for three days. Then you revert to human. Unless you drink the blood of a human during those three days. Then you'll be vampire forever. Caligula wanted to take Luka, and we changed Mina for those three days so that there would be three of us against one if he actually tried."  
  
Angelo eyed Mina in contemplative silence for a time. Then he said, "That is how you 'straightened out' your memories, no?"  
  
"Yes, actually, it is."  
  
"And you are human again."  
  
"I am, yes."  
  
"Hmm."  
  
Ingeras waved that off. "So we need the sword, for certain?"  
  
"A holy silver weapon," Vlad confirmed.  
  
"A silver sword made by monks would qualify," Ingeras agreed. "The castle was torn down in . . . 1495, so everything would have been dispersed after that. I know the Basarabs took a lot."  
  
"They turned Bucharest into their capital," Mina said, "so maybe it went there?"  
  
"There are a number of places it could have gone," Vlad said with a sigh. "But I suppose Bucharest is the most likely starting place."  
  
Lucy came down the stairs, barefoot and dressed in pajamas, just barely up for the night. "Starting place for what?"  
  
"Looking for the silver sword Lucien had," Mina told her.  
  
"And where's the starting place?"  
  
"Bucharest."  
  
Lucy thought for a moment. "Maybe the National Military Museum? That seems to me to be the place you'd look for a weapon."  
  
Vlad opened his mouth, let it hang for a moment, then closed it. "That is a very good idea."  
  
"I've been known to have them," she said wryly. "Anyway, it was on my list of places to go while I was in Bucharest in the spring, before I got sick."  
  
"We'll go tomorrow," Mina said. "Though I don't remember what the sword looks like."  
  
"Neither do I, really," Vlad said. "But if it's pure silver, we vampires will know it."  
  
"How will you know?" Angelo inquired.  
  
"Silver glows really bright to our eyes," Ingeras told him. "Kinda hurts."  
  
Mina reached into the little pouch around her neck and pulled out Mirena's ring. "It also burns the skin."  
  
She dropped the ring into Vlad's palm to demonstrated. He hissed, his skin bubbled, and she snatched it back before it could do more damage. Within seconds, the blister had healed.  
  
"What's that?" Lucy asked curiously.  
  
"My wedding ring," Mina said. "The first one. I'd wear it on my hand, since I can wear silver right now, but it hurts Vlad, so I don't."  
  
She showed it to Lucy, who asked, "Is that a garnet?"  
  
"Yes," Vlad said. "Rubies were harder to come by back then. Hers matches mine."  
  
"That's so romantic. You got matching rings both times."  
  
Mina smiled at her husband. "We did."  
  
Ingeras rolled his eyes. "Back to the sword. It will be big and glowy to us, so we should spot it easily if it's there. Question is, if it _is_ there, what do we do?"  
  
"Go back at night and break in," Vlad said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Mina supposed that for him, it actually was that simple.  
  
"Tomorrow, then," she said. "But right now, you need to rest. I'll bet you haven't slept since Rome."  
  
He shook his head, and Mina took his hand. "To bed with you, then."  
  


* * *

 

  
They went to the museum the next day. Mina found a lot of the displays fascinating. There was a big one about the 1989 revolution, something to do with Communism. But it was the one on the "Oriental" weapons that caught her eye.  
  
There were cannons and a few scraps of Turkish armour on display, as well as a wall of swords. A few in particular drew her attention.  
  
One had a handle made of gold, and a plaque declared it was believed to be the weapon of Sultan Mehmed II, who had died on the battlefield, slain by Vlad III who had later perished from his wounds. Next to it was a wickedly curved thing, which Mina didn't have a name for. It wasn't a cutlass. The blade was hollowed out, which Mina knew was in place of a blood groove.  
  
 _"Didn't the Turks teach you anything? I saw your blade coming . . . from . . ."_  
  
 _"Where is your prince now, my lady?"_  
  
"Mother?"  
  
It was Ingeras's hushed voice that drew her from her reverie, staring at the weapon.  
  
"I know that weapon," she said softly. "That Janissary had it. He killed Dumitru."  
  
Ingeras looked at the sword and frowned. "I remember. And there's Mehmed's sword. It has silver in it," he said, "but I don't think it's enough to qualify as holy."  
  
She shuddered.  
  
"Come look at what I found over here," he whispered excitedly. "Father is going to want this, whether we find Lucien's sword or not."  
  
She followed behind her son as he hurried across the museum floor. As soon as she saw the display, the worn red and black leather, and the sword inside the case, Mina knew what she was looking at.  
  
"It's Vlad's armour," she breathed. "The dragon armour. And his sword."  
  
The armour was falling apart, only bits and pieces intact enough to show that it had been a red dragon on a black scale background. But the sword . . .  
  
The sword was a thing of beauty. With a three-foot blade, it wasn't particularly large. What was unique about it was the dragon that curved around the handle and the hilt, tail wrapping around one ornate guard, the head of the beast forming the pommel.  
  
"He's going to want that," Mina confirmed to Ingeras. "The sword, at the least."  
  
"How, though?"  
  
"How else?"  
  
She went to find Vlad, where he was looking through a collection of general swords.  
  
"It's not here," he said. "I don't see a single sword that could be it."  
  
"No," she agreed. "But I found something else you'll be interested in."  
  
When she led him to his sword, she knew the instant he saw it, because he stiffened. Then his pace quickened.  
  
"My sword," he breathed. "My armour."  
  
There was a velvet rope around the case, keeping them from getting close. Still, Vlad stood as near to the display as he could, his dark green eyes fixed on the weapon he'd once weilded.  
  
"I want it," he said.  
  
"Ingeras and I thought you would." Mina took his hand. "Just be careful, would you?"  
  
He nodded, transfixed. "Not the armour," he said. "I don't want that. But my sword."  
  
"Come back for it," she said. "Let's go."  
  
It was dark and gloomy outside, even though it was mid-afternoon. Privately, Mina wondered if she'd see the sun again, or if, even now, her whole life would be lived in murky shadows.  
  
"Nothing," Lucy said, when she met them outside the museum entrance. "I'm guessing you guys didn't find it, either?"  
  
Vlad had an odd smile on his face. "Not _that_ sword. But I found _my_ sword."  
  
"It's on display as part of the display on the fight for independence from the Turks," Mina told her best friend. "And he wants it."  
  
"So get it," Lucy said pragmatically.  
  
"It's really good we left Angelo at the house," Ingeras said, "because I don't think he'd approve of this."  
  
"He's fine with us getting our hands on Lucien's sword," Lucy pointed out.  
  
"But that's a holy weapon against a monster," Ingeras told her, "not just Father's old Turk-stabber."  
  
Mina snorted at "Turk-stabber". "There are plenty of other museums around the country we can try. Unfortunately, it could be locked away somewhere, in some old ruin, or in the stores of another museum. It could, for all we know, have ended up in London or even America."  
  
"Americans," Vlad muttered. "They're almost as bad as the Turks. They just do their takeovers with money and fast food."  
  
His wife patted him on the head, having to stand on her toes to do it. "There, there. Console yourself with your huge amounts of stock in Microsoft, Apple, and IBM."  
  
He narrowed his eyes at her, and she grinned.  
  
"We need to have dinner in Târgoviște," she said. "You need an alibi, and what better than to be having dinner a hundred miles away?"  
  


* * *

 

  
Because Vlad was able to fly faster in bat form than he could drive, when they were at the restaurant, he feigned taking a call, and disappeared for some time. They were almost finished with their meals when he walked back in, closing his phone.  
  
"Sorry about that," he said to the table at large. "Running a business has its hazards. Dessert, anyone?"  
  
"I think I'll pass," Mina said. "I'm trying to get my figure back."  
  
Lucy snorted. "Says Ms. Naturally Thin."  
  
"I like your figure now," Vlad told his wife.  
  
Mina rolled her eyes heavenward. "Fine. I get the point. No dieting for me. Did you get everything taken care of with Renfield?"  
  
"Yes. The reception here is terrible, so the call dropped a few times."  
  
They all finished eating, and headed back to the house. Vlad opened the trunk of the car and pulled out his sword.  
  
"I damaged a few displays to mask my real target," Vlad said. "I feel a little bad about that."  
  
"It's _your_ sword. They have no right to it," Ingeras told him.  
  
"I think it's called 'finders keepers'," Mina put in. "But in this instance, I agree. Now, if only we could find Lucien's sword."  
  
Angelo was very interested to see their results when they came in. He was disappointed to learn that they hadn't located the silver sword, but he was fascinated by Vlad's dragon sword.  
  
"This is a beautiful weapon," he told Vlad, as he studied it. "Who made it?"  
  
"It was made for me by Turkish swordsmiths by commission of the sultan, before he died and Mehmed became sultan," Vlad said. "When I was in the Janissary Corps for the Ottomans. It's not their usual design, but Murad thought it was amusing to use a traditionally European style and wrap a dragon around it."  
  
He turned the sword over in his hand. The dragon was gold, wrapped around steel. "This," he said softly, "is the one thing I cherished from my time with the Turks."  
  
"What happened to your armour?" Mina asked. "It was all . . . charred and in pieces."  
  
"I wore it in the sun," Vlad said. "It was the only way to stop the others. I cleared the overcast sky. I thought I was going to die with them, but I didn't. I've always wondered why."  
  
"Strength of will, probably," Ingeras said. "The other vampires were terrified of that cross Father Lucien had, except you. It didn't affect you."  
  
"No," Vlad said quietly. "No, it didn't, and I don't know why."  
  
"That's a mystery for another time, I think," Mina said. "Go put your toy away, and let's figure out where we go from here."


	21. Chapter 21

**\--Chapter Twenty-One--**  
  
Mina's training in how to fight began the next day. The large drawing room, intended for entertaining guests, was put to use as a gym. Ingeras went into town and bought some exercise mats to put down on the floor.  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Vlad asked his wife, before he began her lessons.  
  
"I want to know how to fight. More than just how to smack wooden swords together."  
  
He started her off with basic hand-to-hand fighting, a little of varying styles he'd picked up over the years. Once he was satisfied that she could effectively take down anyone who grabbed her, Vlad worked on teaching her how to disarm an assailant.  
  
There was a big story on the news about the break-in at the museum, but as security cameras had only caught a black blur before being disabled, and there were no fingerprints left anywhere, police were baffled.  
  
"I wore gloves, of course there were no fingerprints," Vlad said to the newspaper when he read the article.  
  
Mina, coming back from taking a break to feed the baby, asked, "You do know that the paper can't hear you, right?"  
  
He just gave her a look.  
  
Using wooden dowels, Vlad moved on to teaching Mina the basics of swordfighting. It was antiquated, but so was their opponent. These lessons also came with knowledge of where on the human body the vulnerable spots were, and how to utilise them.  
  
When Mina tired of it, as she didn't have a vampire's stamina, Vlad began training Lucy in the same things. _She_ was able to move faster and more fluidly than Mina, by her vampire nature. Not that Mina minded. It was fun to watch Lucy learn to take Vlad to the mat in a blur of motion.  
  
"What did she do before she was a vampire?" Ingeras asked Mina, as they watched the show.  
  
"Piano teacher, mostly," Mina said. "She quit, obviously."  
  
"It's a shame that this makes us give up everything we love," Ingeras said softly.  
  
"Not quite everything," Mina told him. "We still have each other."  
  
"That's true. But I lost Erzebet and Vlad. Lucy lost her husband over this."  
  
"I'm not thinking that's necessarily a bad thing, given what a prick he is."  
  
"A _tiny_ one!" Lucy said from the mat. She'd been distracted by their conversation and had lost to Vlad.  
  
Mina laughed. "Too much information!"  
  
Vlad decided Lucy needed a break. "Ingeras!"  
  
Ingeras sprang to his feet. "What do you need?"  
  
"I want to spar with someone who can keep up with me and is trained."  
  
His son picked up one of the wooden dowels. "This should be interesting. I haven't ever sparred with you before."  
  
Vlad picked up the other dowel. He grinned wolfishly. "Then this should be interesting, indeed."  
  
Lucy dropped into the seat beside Mina. "I can see why armies were terrified. He's relentless."  
  
Mina nodded.  
  
Vlad and Ingeras were almost evenly matched. The elder of the two had the upper hand, though, from his years as a soldier. It was difficult for Mina to keep track of what was going on because they moved so fast. Three times out of four, Vlad pinned Ingeras. The one time Ingeras managed to pin his father, he let out a whoop and did a little dance.  
  
"Don't get cocky," Vlad said, and swept Ingeras's legs out from under him.  
  
"I hope I never have to fight," Mina sighed. "I'm not very good at it."  
  
"You did okay," Lucy assured her. "You're just human and not as strong."  
  
The baby monitor next to Mina crackled to life and Luka's squawk reached her. She sighed. "Back in a bit."  
  
She returned in a bit with Luka in her arms. "Look at Papa!" she cooed to the baby.  
  
Luka just nuzzled against her.  
  
"Can I hold him?" Lucy asked.  
  
"Sure." Mina passed the baby over.  
  
Lucy cuddled the infant close. "He's getting bigger," she commented. "But he's still so little."  
  
"He will be for a long time. He's still not even supposed to be born yet."  
  
"But look at all his hair! He definitely takes after Vlad." Lucy smoothed the errant black wisps on Luka's head. "You're so cute, Luka! Yes, you are!"  
  
He yawned and pressed little fists to his face.  
  
Angelo appeared in the doorway, dressed in black jeans and a black sweater. Everything he'd purchased was black, likely from habit.  
  
"We are preparing for war?" he asked with some amusement.  
  
"Something like that," Mina told him. "How are you?"  
  
"I am good. I have been immersed in studies. I quite like your library."  
  
"Vlad likes to read," Mina replied. "What are you studying?"  
  
Angelo watched Vlad and Ingeras spar for a moment before speaking. "I have been reading into the history of the region. I thought, if I can be of use . . . I might be able to tell you where to look for the sword."  
  
"That's very appreciated," she said. "Finding one sword somewhere in Eastern Europe is rather like a looking for a needle in a haystack."  
  
"Since it is technically a religious artifact, and was likely never used for battle, as silver is a softer metal, I thought another monastery might have ended up with it."  
  
Mina sighed. "We could be hunting for _years_ for this sword."  
  
"That is why I wish to help. One more set of eyes looking for this sword cannot hurt." The former priest looked at the baby nestled in Mina's arms. "Your child should grow up without fear of this beast."  
  
Mina bent her head and kissed her son's forehead. "He will, if I have anything to say about it."

 

* * *

 

  
  
Christmas was a simple, quiet event. Vlad got a tree, and they decorated it with white lights and simple ball ornaments. Lucy wanted to go all-out, but Mina said no.  
  
They exchanged gifts and shared a meal with Sveta and Iulia. Vlad's gift to Mina was a twisted, white gold bangle bracelet, engraved with "Why think separately of this life and the next, when one is born from the last?" The twist in it made the bracelet go on eternally, part of the engraving inside, part outside, but continuous. Mina loved it and swore to never take it off.  
  
She couldn't help think of the last holiday they'd spent together in 1464, that fateful Easter that had gone so badly. Watching Vlad play on the floor with the baby, her husband waggling a toy that Luka tried to grab, she wondered how differently things might have gone if Vlad had just given in and sent Mehmed the boys he'd demanded.  
  
Vlad looked up, dark eyes bright with amusement, but that faded when he saw her expression. "What are you thinking, _iubita mea_?"  
  
"Just thinking. Would we be here if you'd sent Mehmed those boys? Would we have ruled under his thumb for the rest of our lives and died natural deaths?"  
  
He sighed. "I often wonder the same. There's no point to it, wondering, because there's no way to know how things would have turned out. And there's no changing the way they did."  
  
"I know." Mina slipped off the sofa and to her knees, beside the baby. He shifted his focus to her and gave her a big, toothless grin. "Yes, it's Mummy, isn't it? Hi, my boy!"  
  
Luka kicked his feet and squealed. Mina gave him a finger to hold, and he did with relish, tiny fist gripping the digit fiercely.  
  
"He's doing so well," Vlad murmured. "I was so afraid for him, but he's progressing as if he weren't premature."  
  
"I'm sure that's your doing," Mina told her husband. "If he were an ordinary, human baby, he'd still be in hospital."  
  
Luka's eyes, lately turned green like Vlad's, crossed with the effort of focusing on Mina's hand. She chuckled as he tried to shove her finger in his mouth.  
  
"I think someone's hungry," she said. "When he is, everything goes in the mouth."  
  
She picked up the baby and leaned back against the sofa, drawing one of the throws over herself and the infant in case someone came in.  
  
"Lucy wants to go back to London soon," she told Vlad. "And Iulia is going with her."  
  
"A beneficial arrangement for everyone," he said. "Have they decided when?"  
  
"As soon as Iulia's passport and work Visa are arranged. The girl's never been out of Târgoviște, and she's going straight to London. I hope the culture shock doesn't kill her."  
  
"She's of good, strong stock," Vlad informed Mina. "She'll survive."  
  
There was a knock at the door, and Angelo stuck his head in. "Am I interrupting?"  
  
"No, Angelo, please come in." Mina smiled. "Have you had a good Christmas?"  
  
"Yes, thank you. It has been . . . very different from my usual observances. But I was able to go to Mass last night, which was very calming for my soul."  
  
"Good. I'm glad."  
  
A snowball splatted against the window at that moment. Vlad rose to look outside.  
  
"Lucy and Ingeras are having a snowball fight," he said, a little surprised.  
  
Mina laughed. "Lucy always got in trouble at school for that."  
  
"Let me guess, you were the one to get dragged into her schemes?" Vlad asked.  
  
"Most of the time. She was definitely the instigator of a lot of trouble." Mina peeked under the blanket at Luka, who was still in his own little world, greedily sucking away with his small fists close to his face. She felt such love for her child, it was nearly overwhelming.  
  
Vlad suddenly turned from the window, his eye visibly twitching.  
  
"What is it?" Mina asked.  
  
"Nothing," he said, a little too quickly, and Mina suspected he'd seen something between Lucy and Ingeras.  
  
Angelo left to go back to his perusal of Vlad's library. Vlad sat on the floor by Mina and peeked at the baby as Mina had done.  
  
"You know," she said after a moment, "if Lucy and Ingeras are occupied, and so is Angelo . . . We have a fireplace upstairs."  
  
He arched a brow, then grinned. "I love your thinking," he told her. "Finish feeding the baby and meet me upstairs. I'll get a fire going."  
  


* * *

 

  
Early morning on Boxing Day, Mina was in the kitchen fixing breakfast when Angelo came through, bundled up in boots and coat, and gave her a smile. "I believe I will take a walk in this rare sunshine before I resume my studies," he told Mina.  
  
"That sounds like a good idea," she said, returning the smile. "Enjoy."  
  
He nodded and went out through the back door. Mina returned her attention to her cooking. Luka had kept her up a large part of the night, being fussier than usual, and she figure that if her rest was shot anyway, she might as well get a good breakfast out of instead of cereal.  
  
Mina was just putting some bacon on to fry when there was a _crack!_ and the window across the kitchen shattered. Something slammed into the copper-bottomed soup pot Sveta kept hanging from the ceiling and punched right through it and into the wall over Mina's head.  
  
She hit the floor, knocking the frying pan off the stove and sending it skittering across the tiles. Heart pounding, Mina crawled behind the kitchen island. There were two more bangs outside, which she now recognised as gunshots, then shouting.  
  
Her first instinct was to go check on Luka. Then she thought of Angelo.  
  
Mina got to her feet and ran to the door of the kitchen, the one that led outside. The shouting came from around the front of the house. As she turned the corner, she spotted Angelo lying on the ground, with two men standing over him. The shouting had stopped, and Mina realised that there was a third man with Sveta held by one arm, a gun to her head.  
  
She did the only thing she could, and screamed, "Vlad!"  
  
All three men turned to her, and weren't looking when the upstairs window burst outwards in a shower of glass. Vlad landed in a crouch, hissing in the sunlight, and the men turned their guns on him. As clouds formed overhead, the men fired at Vlad.  
  
The bullets didn't stop the vampire. Moving fast as lightning, Vlad hauled the nearest man into the shadows and snapped his neck. The other two men kept firing, and at the entrance end of the courtyard, a sleek black vehicle shot backwards so fast that its tires squealed.  
  
Ingeras came out of the house, using the front door, and grabbed a second man. That assailant was dead in seconds, leaving only the third that held Sveta.  
  
"Leave me, Master," Sveta pleaded. "I am worth nothing. Save yourself."  
  
Vlad said, "Duck, Sveta."  
  
She did as commanded, and the shard of glass Vlad had picked up during the fight flew across the space between them and lodged in the third man's throat. That one said, "Urk!" and dropped his gun as well as his grip on the housekeeper.  
  
Mina ran to Angelo. Miraculously, the former priest was still alive, but given the two holes in his chest, he wouldn't be that way for long. Kneeling beside him in the ice and snow, Mina put his glasses back on his face and stroked his cheek.  
  
"I was-" He stopped and coughed, blood staining his lips.  
  
"No, no, don't speak. We'll get you help."  
  
He smiled beatifically. "I am beyond-" He coughed again. "-help."  
  
"No, you'll be fine," Mina lied.  
  
Angelo laughed weakly. "I go to my Savior, who I have served . . . these long years."  
  
Vlad knelt on Angelo's other side. "Father Angelo."  
  
Angelo's brown eyes fixed on Vlad. "My lord. If you would . . . do me layman's honours?"  
  
Mina frowned, not understanding when Vlad began to speak in hushed Latin. As Vlad finished, Angelo began to cough again.  
  
When the coughing subsided, he looked again to Mina.  
  
"I would have liked a cat," he breathed.  
  
Then he went still, with a quiet sigh, and his dark eyes seemed to focus on something over Mina's shoulder. His hand in hers went limp.  
  
"No," she whispered. "Father Angelo."  
  
"He's gone, Mina," Vlad told her softly.  
  
She sniffled. "I know," she breathed. "Why? Who were those men? The Order?"  
  
"I would expect so." Vlad looked up at the sky. It had begun to snow. "We need to call the authorities. I can't clean this up alone, and Angelo deserves more than . . . a burial in the woods."  
  
Mina nodded.  
  
"Are _you_ alright, _iubita mea_?"  
  
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt."  
  
"Good."  
  
Vlad helped her to her feet. Mina realised as she stood that her jeans were soaked with snow and blood. She swayed for a moment, then took a deep breath, steeling herself.  
  
"Bring me my coat?" she asked. "I want to stay with him."  
  
Her husband nodded.  
  
Sveta, arms wrapped tight around herself, came over. "Who were the men, Mistress?"  
  
"We think they were from the Order of the Dragon. Vampire hunters."  
  
The housekeeper's expression turned worried. "One got away."  
  
"I know. And they know what Vlad is now." Mina chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, sadly eyeing Angelo's body. "We're going to have to leave here."  
  
"You do not want to."  
  
"No, I don't want to. I love it here. But it's not going to be safe. The Order will come back."  
  
Vlad came out of the house, looking grim. "The police on their way."  
  


* * *

 

  
The police came, and were given a story of attempted robbery. The man with glass in his neck had been in the house, Vlad explained, and in the struggle he'd fallen out the window. Mina tuned out the explanations for the rest of it, claiming she'd been in the kitchen until it was over, and only then had come out to try to help the deceased.  
  
Once the bodies had been cleared away, and the crime scene processed as much as the investigators felt like doing--to them, it was pretty clear that the robbers had met with more opposition than they'd expected--Mina went upstairs and began packing.  
  
"We're going to London," Vlad said. "I'll have repairs made to the house while we're gone."  
  
"Are they going to let us leave, or do we need to go to Bucharest?"  
  
"As far as the police are concerned, we stopped some robbers. There was nothing on the bodies to indicate they were Vatican and there was no other identification, so it's our word against that of . . . well, no one, given that the 'robbers' are dead."  
  
Mina looked down at the half-packed suitcase. "So is Angelo. What are we going to do about him?"  
  
"He had no family to claim him, so I'll have Renfield see to his burial while we're in London."  
  
"I don't want to leave," Mina said again.  
  
"I know, _iubita mea_. But we have to go. I'm not even sure the London house is safe enough. Eventually, the Order may find it and track us there."  
  
She went to him, wrapping her arms tight around his waist. "I'm scared, Vlad. I'm more scared now than I was when we left the castle."  
  
"Don't be," he whispered. "It's not an army of Turks we're against, and I'm stronger now than I was then."  
  
"But we also have Caligula to deal with."  
  
"I know." He kissed the top of her head. "We'll figure it out somehow. I promise. Take only what you need. I'll replace anything else when we get to London."  
  
Then Vlad left her to finish packing. They would, he decided, leave within the hour. They couldn't afford more time than that, with the modern methods of communication and transportation. More Vatican soldiers could be there within a few hours, and they needed to be long gone.  
  
Vlad ran a hand down the wall as he descended the stairs to inform Ingeras and Lucy of the need to evacuate. It was with a sense of extreme déjà vu that he did, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was meant to spend eternity running for his life.  
  
Only time could tell.


End file.
